


Dragon Training: By a Princess and Prince

by DCatWalker



Series: The Dragon Trainer's Prophecy [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Genre: F/M, Fem!Hiccup, Fem!Snotlout, Male!Astrid, Toothcup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 42,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1081980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DCatWalker/pseuds/DCatWalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hali lives on the island of Berk living a normal life. More or less. She, without knowing, is the lost princess of the dragons. She has a long, vine shaped birthmark on the lower right of her back. She must meet the dragon prince, Toothless, and defeat Merciless. But how will they do it without being caught or killed? Fem!Hic - Toothcup</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This is Berk

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first story and it is also being posted on FanFiction! I have no regulation for posting so just keep an eye out for it. Enjoy!

**This is Berk**

My name's Hali. I am fourteen and, well, this is Berk. Twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death; it's located solidly on the meridian of misery. An island that gets raided every once and a while by dragons. Mostly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This island is full of dragon-killing Vikings. Just about everyone here is a Viking. I may be the only one who isn't. Don't get me wrong. I do not want to be a Viking. Unless the rules about dragon-killing is changed, I will not want to become a dragon killer anytime soon. On this island, you're supposed to hate dragons, but to be honest with you, I don't. I think they're magnificent creatures. Nevertheless, the dragons don't like us. Most of the time, they'll be nicer to me than the others.

I was currently sleeping peacefully in my room, until I smelled smoke which woke me up. _'Well, fuck!'_ I thought crossly. The house was on fire. Again. Jumping out of my bed, careful not to have my green tunic or my brown vest to catch on the bed posts, I made my way down the stairs, narrowly avoiding a falling beam. I grabbed the door and pulled it open, only to be greeted by a Monstrous Nightmare. I shut the door just before the dragon was able to roast me. Breathing heavily, I muttered, “Dragons,” I turned around and cautiously opened the door. I saw the deep scarlet dragon fly off, probably chasing after a sheep. I hurriedly stepped outside, shutting the door tightly behind me.

I then ran off towards the forge. Why? Well, ever since I was seven, I had been working in the forge with my mentor/friend, Gobber the Belch. He didn't get that title for nothing. In the Great Hall, my father and Gobber were having a drinking contest. They had drunk over ten mugs and Gobber let out a mighty belch. Gobber had been titled “the Belch” ever since.

Once when my dad was away, Gobber challenged me to a drinking game. I won by a long shot. Gobber wasn't going easy either. I beat him by five mugs. I drank fifteen while Gobber drank ten and passed out. I had to dragon him all the way to the forge. It was very difficult, considering he was a large man. Both height and width.

Anyway, I ran through the flaming village, the Vikings shouting at me telling me to get out of the way. I shook my head at them and collided with one who landed on top of me.

“Mornin' Hali!” he cheered happily. He then leaped off me and dove for a Gronckle who in turn, flung him off like a bug. Suddenly, a sharp pain moved its way through my back. I looked over to my back and saw a blue line shining through my green tunic. Sighing, I stood up, and looked around to see if anyone noticed my glowing back. No one had.

If you're wondering why my back is glowing, it's because I have a sort of vine-ish birthmark on my back. It glows blue anytime a dragon is near. But it glows bright, and I mean bright, blue when a certain type of dragon is near. I’ll get to that later. I dashed towards the forge, only to be pulled back by a strong force.

“Can't I just get to the damned place I want to go without being interrupted?” I complained loudly. I looked over to see my father, Stoick the Vast, holding me up by the collar of my tunic. They don't call him “the Vast” for nothing either. The man is HUGE! His fiery red beard was too. Right now, he looked exasperated.

“Hali Horrendous Haddock the Third!” he shouted accusingly to me. Why must he use my full name every time he sees me? “What are you doing out? Get inside!” I nodded quickly and dashed towards the forge, hoping to not be interrupted again. I sighed, relieved as I pulled my apron on and nodded my hello to Gobber who was hammering at a broken sword.

“Ah, nice o' yeh ter join the party!” he exclaimed as I made my way towards the scattered weapons on the floor. “I tho' yeh'd been carried off!” I turned to look at him, a horribly faked hurt look on my face.

“What, who me?” I asked as I lifted the blade onto its rack. “Nah, I'm way too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all this.” I flexed my non-existing muscles.

“Well, they need toothpicks, don' they?” he asked, jokingly. I stuck my tongue out playfully at him. I ran over to the shutters and opened them, allowing the Vikings to drop in their damaged weapons. I picked up the layer of poorly scraped weapons. Hoisting them onto the fire, I burnt my hand by shoving it onto the fire where the weapons _only_ were supposed to go. I swore loudly as I shoved my hand into the water barrel next to me.

“Watch out! That fire's hot!” Gobber told me. I deadpanned.

“Oh really? I hadn't noticed.” I said sarcastically. I heated the fire up more than I probably needed to. I was then distracted from my work when I heard an explosion close to the forge. Looking out through the window, I saw five teens attempting to put out fires.

The chubby boy with blonde hair is Fishlegs. He is basically the dragon encyclopedia. Seriously, ask anyone. If you ask him one small question about dragons, his mouth was running and you won't be able to stop it.

The bulky girl with the short black hair and pale blue eyes is Snotlout. She's my cousin surprisingly. She is nothing like me! She always makes fun of me. I find it quite rude.

Then, the twins with the greasy blonde hair are Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They fight pretty much every second of every day. They look like they hate each other, but I can tell they won't survive without one another or with each other.

Then, the 'leader' of the group, Aster. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He doesn't pick on me like the rest does, but he just shoots glares at me every day. I used to have a crush on him, but ever since he turned 15, he's been a real jerk.

I edged forward slightly, only to be pulled back by Gobber. “Really? By the collar again?” I asked, outraged. He set me down in front of him.

“Hali, you know you are not experienced enough to go out into the raids.” he told me sternly.

“I know I'm not.” I replied indignantly. “I didn't want to go into the raids, I just wish I had some of the other kids for my friends.”

He stepped towards me and laid his hand on my shoulder. “They'll grow on yeh. Jus' give it some time.” Both our heads shot up when an explosion sounded dangerously close to the forge. “Alrigh'. Watch the forge, Hicca. They need me out there. Stay. Put. There – You know what I mean.” And with a loud YARG, he ran into the battle. There was no way I was staying here and watch these dragons get murdered. So, I grabbed my journal from my workspace and ran out of the forge, accidentally setting my bolas launcher off.

“Sorry!” I called to the Viking who got hit with the bola that was shot. I weaved through the other Vikings as I made my way to the cliff I always sat at when I needed some thinking time. I slowed my pace as I neared the cliff. There were no dragons being killed in this spot. When I was about to sit down, I tripped on something that almost caused me to tumble off the edge. I clutched the grass beneath me. I heard a _whoosh_ over my head. Looking up, I saw a bolas flying towards the sky. Then, a pain filled screech passed through the sky. I followed the sound and saw a dark mass that got tangled in the bolas fly towards Sunhigh Cove.

“Oh no,” I muttered under my breath as I felt my back burning. “No, please don't tell me that was a dragon!” I stood up, my journal still at hand, the memory replaying in my mind. “No, that was a dragon! Oh no, what did I do?” I felt tears beginning to form. I looked down to see my old bola launcher. “Oh damn it all! Would anyone else like to make me feel worse?” I looked around, not really expecting to see anyone. But I saw a Monstrous Nightmare.

“Except for you,” I said in my I-am-so-dead tone. The dragon huffed. I had two options. On one hand I could stand here and wait to be roasted. On the other hand, I could run for my life and hope someone would help me. I chose the latter. I ran off the cliff, not being able to scream because I didn't feel like it. I looked back to see the dragon staring at my back. Oh that! You remember how I said my birth mark glows whenever a certain dragon was near by, right? Well, that certain dragon was a Night Fury. From my hypothesis, I believe that I captured a Night Fury. The birth mark would usually stay burning for a while. Why? No clue. Then, the dragon flew off.

 _'Why did he just fly off?'_ I thought, staring after the flying shape of the dragon. _'Alright, I can't stand here like a statue. I have to get home before my dad sees-'_ I turned around and low and behold, my father was charging straight towards me. It took me a moment to realize that I was in the plaza. I saw no dragons around. _'We lost.'_ My father ran into me, knocking me to the ground, yet he did not stop running. He must've been chasing after the dragons. I saw him stop a few feet away from me; even though his back was turned to me, I could still feel the anger radiating from him. I saw the Vikings gathering around us.

He turned around, his chest heaving. He stalked towards me and I stumbled as I stood up. “Why must you always let the dragons escape?!” he shouted at me.

I've had it. “Don't shout at me!” I snapped. He's been accusing me every time a raid fails. “I wasn't involved in the fighting and you know that!”

“You could've at least done something to help instead of being useless in that damn forge!” he raged at me. But that was too far. The Vikings here call me useless and I don't care if they do it. But when I hear it from my father, it's too much. Hurt showed clear in my eyes, but not as much as the fury that coursed through me. I clenched my fists, as though preparing to fight him if I had to.

“How _dare_ you call me useless?!” I stepped forward threateningly. I saw his expression soften, as if finally realizing what he called me. But now, it was too late. “The people here may call me that, but _you_? Of all people to call me that, I wouldn't expect my own _father_ to go against me!”

“Hali, I didn't mean-” he started. The wind blew, showing my reddening face from anger. I felt like I was about to explode.

“Yeah, sure, play the old 'I didn't mean it' card.” I spat. “You always say you don't mean the hurtful things you've said to me, but I know you do. Because you wish you had a boy instead!” The Vikings gasped. I then coughed loudly to make my best impression of him. “Excuse me, barmaid. I’m afraid you've brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large _boy_ with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fish bone!” I pointed to my thin figure.

“Hali, let me explain.” he reached his hands out as if in an attempt to comfort me. It won't work, at least, not anymore.

“No! There's nothing to explain. Just go do what you have to. I'm out of here.” I huffed angrily and quickly made my way towards my house. It didn't matter if he was my father. That was just too far. I opened the large door and slammed it shut. I knew what I had to do. I had to find that Night Fury before anyone else does. I grabbed a charcoal pencil from my desk near the door. Then, I went out through the back door and into the forest.


	2. Dragon Training?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who is reading this, Merry (early) Christmas!

**Dragon Training?!**

I had drawn a map in my journal from my understandings of the forest. I had attempted to calculate the distance that the dragon had fallen. So far, all of my guesses had failed. Every spot I checked had no sign of the dragon. I had been searching for two hours. Never before have I had so much trouble searching for something.

Looking up from my journal, I hoped to see the Night Fury, but all I saw was another spot in the forest, no dragon near it. I sighed as I marked the spot with an 'x'. Frustrated, I scribbled all over my journal, knowing that I would have no luck. I snapped my journal closed, with my pencil inside it, and stuffed it in my vest.

“Oh, the gods hate me,” I complained as I kicked a rock out of my way. “Most people lose their knife or their mugs. No not me. I manage to lose an entire _dragon_!” I slapped a dangling twig. It hit me back in the face, giving me a cut on me forehead. I placed my hand on the cut. Pulling it back, it had spots of blood on it.

“Perfect.” I muttered as I wiped my hand off on my tunic. I suddenly felt her back burning. I looked over to see my birth mark shining through my tunic. Excitement coursed through me. I started forward and the burning became stronger. I soon come up on a small dirt mound. I peered over it to see a dark mass tangled up in a rope. My breath got caught in my throat. The dragon. He was here.

I slowly made my way over the small mound. He wasn't moving. I felt fear rising up inside me as it mingled with the burning sensation on her back. He couldn't be dead. Oh please don't let him be dead. As I neared the dragon, I could feel her birth mark glowing brighter. Then, the dragon opened his eyes. They were the exact same color as mine. His eyes locked with mine and I swore I could hear him thinking something that I could not understand. I saw fear in his eyes.

“Relax,” I soothed as I edged closer to him. “I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help.” He didn't seem to buy it. He growled as I came closer to him, though I didn't stop moving nearer. I knelt down beside him and pulled out my dagger. I heard him whine and I turned my eyes toward him, trying to tell him silently that I would not hurt him. Then very slowly, I started cutting the ropes. My dagger sliced through each rope with ease. I cut the last rope off and the dragon stretched his limbs and wings. I then heard a loud rumble coming from him as I put my dagger in its sheath.

He shied away, hiding his head under his wings, as though embarrassed. Then I remembered that I had a bag of berries in my pocket. “Hey!” I called to him. He lifted his head to look at me, wariness clear in his eyes.

“I'm guessing you're hungry.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small bag of berries I had picked while I was looking for the dragon. “I have some berries here if you want 'em.” The dragon nodded. So I untied the bag and set the berries on the ground. Then I stepped backwards to give the dragon some space. He sniffed the berries as he looked up at me. I gave him an encouraging smile. Soon enough, he ate the berries. He seemed to like them too. He peered closely at me, as if examining me.

Then, he beckoned me forward with his tail. Hesitantly, I came towards him. He nodded his head behind him and turned around. My guess was that I was to follow him. So I did. We walked through the forest as I tried my best to dodge every low-hanging branch. I had no clue where he was leading me, and this may sound crazy, but I had to trust him. Ha. A 'Viking' trusting the most vicious dragon of them all that was leading me into the forest where no one could hear me.

I shook that thought away as soon as it had come. Strangely, I felt safer around the dragon than I ever did with anyone in my village, even Gobber. Despite the burning on my back, I was quite happy being out in the forest. I was about to ask where we were going until the dragon lifted his tail in front of me, stopping me in her tracks.

“Why did you-” I asked but soon stopped as his tail slapped onto my mouth, efficiently shutting me up. Glaring, I pushed the tail away from my face. I looked around but saw nothing but trees. Though it seemed like he knew something unwelcome was coming towards them. I scratched the top of my head in confusion, not seeing what he was.

I then yelped as I found myself being dragged behind a bush by the dragon's wings. His wings covered me completely, shielding me from sight. He was pulling me close to him and I felt my cheeks turn pink. It was weird, being pulled close by a male, even if he was a dragon, it was still weird. I looked up at him and saw his pupils as slits. Whatever was coming, it wasn't good. I, out of fear, pushed myself firmly against him. I didn't want to know what was coming.

I heard him growl lowly. I swallowed nervously as I heard light footsteps coming towards them. I soon felt paws grip me around the waist and pull me in. Looking down, the dragon's forearms were pulling me closer in, sort of in a protective way. I clutched the paws around my waist while I looked through the small spaces in the bush we were hiding behind. I saw many small, black paws slowly making their way towards us.

 _'Wild boars,'_ I guessed silently. The boars snarled menacingly. _'_ Angry _wild boars.'_ The dragon was drawing in a large breath when I felt his chest expand and then contract. As I shut my eyes and gripped his paws tightly, the dragon shot out from the bush at an alarming speed. Not wanting to be dragged along in the dirt, I, without thinking, clamored onto the dragon's back. I held his neck tightly as he dashed through the woods. I heard the boars growling at them.

I risked a glance behind me and immediately regretted it. There were many, many wild boars chasing after us and were gaining speed. “There gaining on us!” I called to the dragon. He quickly looked behind him at me. I saw that the dragon told me two words through his eyes: “Trust me.”

I nodded and the dragon sped off. My back was practically bursting into flames at this point. It took all of my self control to keep from crying out. I looked up and saw Sunhigh Cove half a mile away. The dragon was taking me there for protection. I tightened my grip on him slightly.

“Think you can speed up?” I asked. The dragon looked up at me, as if asking me if I was sure. “Positive.” With that, he took of. I practically felt like I was flying. The growls of the boars were slowly fading away until I couldn't hear them anymore. Very soon after that, I found myself and the dragon in Sunhigh Cove. It looked very different from when I used to visit at noon. Now, when the sun was about three quarters down the sky, it looked amazing.

The dragon slowed to a walk as he made his way into the Cove. I slid off his back and we both went to lie next to the pond. I saw the dragon, as he lied down, was panting heavily. I scooted myself closer to him.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I sat in front of the dragon. He looked up at me, his head lolling side-to-side. “Tired after all that running, huh?” He nodded as he laid his head back down. I looked up at the sky and nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Oh gosh, I need to get back to my village!” I exclaimed as I stood up. The dragon wrapped his tail around me, obviously not wanting me to leave. “I'll be back tomorrow, okay?” The dragon stared at me for some time before nodding and retracting his tail. “Oh, and my name's Hali.” I then ran to the side of the Cove, and with a final glance at the dragon, I left.

{Time Skip!}

I had finally made it back to my house after a very long walk through the forest. My back had stopped burning but I still felt the burn lingering. I quietly opened the front door to my house just in case my dad was in there. I slipped in and closed the door without a sound. I looked over my shoulder to see my dad hammering something near the fire. I tip-toed to the stairs and crawled up them step by step. I froze when I heard my father say my name. He used _that_ tone which meant nothing good. Then again, he almost always used that tone.

“Uh... dad!” I said in surprise. “Um... what is it?” I crawled back down the stairs. I jumped down in front of my father.

“I have to tell you something.” he told me. I felt a sneeze coming on. “I've decided to let you into dragon training.” As soon as he said that, I sneezed as I threw my head forwards. My head shot back up as I looked at him confused. I didn't hear him right. Surely he didn't say he was putting me in dragon training?

“Repeat that please?” I asked him.

He breathed in deeply. “I've decided it's time for you to learn how to fight dragons.” Oh no! I can't fight dragons. Especially since I’ve seemed to make friends with one! He can't put me in dragon training.

“W... what?” I stuttered. “I... I can't! There's no way I can fight dragons.” He stood up with an axe in his hands. 

“You'll need this.” he said as he dropped the axe in my arms. The weight dragged me down a little.

“Hold on. Who said I even wanted to go into dragon training?” I asked him accusingly.

“You're lessons begin tomorrow morning.” he continued as though he hadn't heard me.

“Did you even hear me?” I put the axe on the ground.

“This is serious, Hali!” he told me. “When you carry this axe,” he placed the axe back in my arms. “you carry all of us. You talk like us. You _think_ like us.”

“Then I won't be doing much thinking,” I muttered so silently so that he couldn't hear it.

“Deal?”

Here we go again. “This conversation feels very one-sided.”

“Deal?!” he said more forcibly.

I sighed. There was no getting through to him on this one. “Deal.”

“Good!” He shoved a basket onto his shoulder. “I'll be back. Probably.”

“And I'll be here, maybe. Try to be careful!” I called to him before he shut the door. I laid the axe down on the floor and walked up to my room. I crashed on the bed, thinking what I did to deserve this.


	3. Dragon Training Begins

**Dragon Training Begins**

I walked behind the group of teens, carrying the axe my father handed me, as we neared the arena. A place I hoped I would never have to go to. Gobber was leading us. He grasped the gates that lead into the arena.

“Welcome to dragon training!” he announced as the gate opened. It revealed many cages that were locked down so tightly, I thought that Dagur would be kept in there.

Ashter was the first one in. Then the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, after them were Snotlout and Fishlegs. They were all talking about mauling, scars, and other bloody things that were way too detailed for me. I almost hacked up my breakfast. The axe was weighing me down way too much. I dashed passed the others (almost knocking Snotlout over in the process. Gosh I was so close to getting her to fall over.) and laid the axe near the weapon rack. I took out a dagger. A way easier weapon to use.

I heard Snotlout chuckle. “What? Little Hali's too small for a real weapon?” I sighed, fairly annoyed at her right now. “Bet she can't even lift a five-year-old's axe. Ha!”

“Oh shut up, you half-troll!” I shouted at her. Now was not the time to mess with me. She flinched. That term was not used loosely. I stepped forward menacingly. I was about to lunge towards her until Gobber caught the collar of my tunic and picked me up into the air.

“Why do you always grab my collar?!” I complained. He let go before I could do any damage to him. We all formed a line in the center of the arena.

“Alright!” he began. “Every weekday there will be a different class. Monday is weapons, Tuesday is dragon studies, Wednesday is actual dragon fighting, Thursday is strategy, and Friday will be a test to see what you have learned.” This resulted in a groan from the class except for me. I would rather take a million tests than fight a dragon. “Now, the dragons. The Deadly Nadder!”

I was silently praying that Fishlegs, who was next to me, wouldn't start listing off the statistics. “Speed eight, armor sixteen.” He listed them!

“The Hideous Zippleback!”

“Plus eleven stealth times two!” Fishlegs was starting to grow louder.

“The Monstrous Nightmare.”

“Firepower fifteen!”

“The Terrible Terror!”

“Attack eight, venom twelve!” Okay now he was practically shouting in my ear.

“WILL YOU STOP THAT!” Gobber cut him off. I mouthed 'thank you' to him as I caught his eye. He nodded curtly. “And... the Gronckle.” He placed his hand on the lever.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Aren't you going to teach us first?” Snotlout asked, a little freaked out.

“Not today. Today's Wednesday!” Gobber replied.

“Learning on the job?” I asked, imitating his accent. He laughed and pulled the lever. The Gronckle burst out of its cage. We all scattered in different directions.

“Today is all about survival! If you get blasted, you're out!” he told us from across the room.

That made me worry. “Uh, what happens if we're blasted and literally are out?” I ducked to dodge an incoming fireball. I swore I saw Ashter pale slightly. I shook that thought away and turned back to Gobber. He looked slightly pale as well. What was with everyone and paling today?

“You wont,” he said in an unconvincing voice. “Anyways! What's the first thing you're going to need when in a battle?”

Thinking fast I shouted, “A doctor?” I remembered the last few burns I got in a raid. Still have them and the pain still bugs me.

“Plus five speed?” Fishlegs guessed. What was that supposed to mean?

“A shield!” Ashter shouted confidently. Of course _he_ would know what to do.

“Shields go!” Gobber commanded us. We all dashed for the shields. I personally didn't care which shield I got. As long as it would keep me alive. I was soon pushed aside, my shield on me, by my idiot cousin. And that's an understatement. She seemed to be trying to 'warm up' to Ashter. I shook my head disapprovingly as I headed for a wooden board that was currently standing.

I heard the twins fighting over a shield. I rolled my eyes. It is a dang shield! Just grab one and go! But they didn't I heard the Gronckle fire at them. I had to stifle a laugh in case the Gronckle heard me.

“You're most important thing in battle is your shield. If you have to choose between a sword and a shield, take the shield!” I heard Gobber telling us. He seemed to have spotted me. “Hali, get in there!”

“Nah I'm good.” I replied, staying behind the wooden board. I heard Gobber coming towards me. Then he picked me up around my stomach. I managed to grab onto the wall.

“Hali, let go would ya!” he told me as he began to try and pry me off the wall. Apparently seeing that I wasn't going to give up, he signaled the Gronckle this way. I glared at Gobber and let go of the wall. He nodded and I ran for the opposite wall, nearly dodging the dragon.

“Every dragon has a different shot limit,” Gobber instructed us. “What is the shot limit of a Gronckle?”

“Five?” Snotlout guessed. Really? Even I knew the shot limit of a Gronckle was...

“No, six!” Fishlegs shouted. Thank you for interrupting my thoughts, Fishlegs.

“Correct six! That's one for each of you!” Gobber praised. That was not what I needed to hear. I heard Fishlegs mumble something before his shield was blasted. He screamed and ran towards Gobber.

_'How does he not get bullied?'_ I thought. I ran straight for the opposite wall and heard Snotlout trying to get Ashter to notice her.

“... you should come by sometime to work out. You look like you work out.” she was saying to him. I saw Ashter roll away just as the Gronckle came towards Snotlout; I had to stifle a laugh. Snotlout staggered backwards as the Gronckle knocked into her.

“Snotlout, you have to hit the dragon! Not the other way around!” Gobber called to her. Snotlout glared at him before dashing towards him and the others. I saw Ashter run towards me.

“So, just you and me?” I asked casually.

“Nope just you.” he replied as he rolled away. I was confused for a split second until the Gronckle blasted my shield off of me. I staggered backwards and my shield was rolling away from me. Shouldn't I be out already?

I ran towards my shield, the Gronckle close behind me. I didn't dare look back. I jumped towards my shield but was knocked into the wall by the Gronckle. I saw a fire build up in the Gronckle's throat.

“Oh this is not going to end well!” I said as I braced myself against the wall. The Gronckle stopped its fire and looked at me quizzically for a moment before it was dragged away by a hook that was in its mouth. I was breathing heavily as my mind kept replaying what had happened. Why were all the dragons that at first trying to attack me but now their not?

I only just came back to reality when I heard Gobber shouting, “Go back to bed you overgrown sausage!” He practically tossed the Gronckle into its cage. He shut the cage door tightly. “You'll get another chance, don't you worry.” The rest of the class walked up, all of them panting heavily. “Remember, a dragon will always-” he turned to me. “ _always_ go for the kill.” He pulled me up. My mind was buzzing. That Night Fury; he didn't go for the kill. He pretty much did the opposite.

The teens left the arena, leaving me to my thoughts. Were the dragons really as bad as we thought? I decided it was time to find that out for myself. I ran swiftly out of the arena and towards the storage shed, hoping to get at least a couple of fish. I scanned the shed and my eyes stopped on a fish basket.

_'No one would mind if I took just a couple of fish.'_ I thought. I stealthily sneaked a couple of fish out from the basket. I then darted out the back door and into the forest, hoping that I would remember the way to Sunhigh Cove.

**I know short chapter. But the next one will have Toothless's POV. Promise. See you guys later!**

 


	4. The True Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter is starting out with Toothless's point of view. Got it? Good. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Oh and do you guys think it would be a good idea for Toothless to be able to turn into a human at will? Please let me know. I want to know if you guys would like to see that in this story.

**The True Meeting**

I had just awoken from my sleep by a bird that had been pecking at my scales. My mind hadn't come off the girl that was here yesterday. Not 'the girl.' She has a name... which I seemed to have forgotten. Oh what was her name? Ah that's it, Hali. It was a strange name, kind of like another name that I can't quite put my talon on. Though it wasn't as strange as mine. Sklivacio. I forgot what it means.

The events of yesterday were still playing in my head. I had sensed the birthmark on her and it wasn't a typical birthmark either. I couldn't quite figure out where I had seen such a mark before. It was so familiar, yet so unrecognizable.

Even though she was a human, I had felt a wave of protectiveness over Hali when I sensed the boars coming towards us. The trouble I would get into for doing something like that. The Queen would be furious. I still remember feeling the fear radiating off of Hali. I had felt fear before, but never in the kind of connection I had with her. It was different than anything I had ever experienced before. I couldn't recall it.

I also had this amazing feeling when she gripped my paws when they were wrapped around her. It was completely different than anything that has ever happened to me. I can't explain it though. I sort-of felt like an electric shock of some sorts. I don't know. It was a strange feeling.

I had recently attempted to catch fish in the small lake in the center of the cove, but every time I attempted, I failed. It was annoying me and I was really hoping Hali would return very soon, hopefully with food. I was curled under the shade of a large tree, my tail wrapped in front of me.

Then, my nose caught a familiar scent: the girl! She had kept her promise and she returned. I slowly unraveled myself as I looked towards the direction of the scent. I soon saw the girl walk towards the walls of the cove. She was wearing the same thing as yesterday. A green tunic covered by a bearskin vest, dark brown pants and brown boots. She seemed to have things stuffed in her vest as well. Though my nose refused to find the scent.

She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled. I felt my heart skip a beat. There's that feeling again. What is it? It's driving me mad not knowing what this feeling is! Ignoring my battling mind, I smiled back at the girl. She giggled as she jumped off of the rock. Why do I feel like this towards her. Dear gods, tell me what this feeling is before I drive myself insane!

I watched Hali as she reached inside her vest and pulled out two cod. She held one of them out to me as if checking to see if I liked fish. I leaned forward slightly and I smelled metal. On instinct, I recoiled, my eyes turning to slits. Hali staggered backwards, frightened by my growl. I dilated my pupils, trying to show her I didn't mean to scare her. She reached inside her vest and pulled out a knife.

I growled lowly. Why was she armed? She seemed to get the hint as she dropped the knife onto the ground beside her. I felt a small amount of trust, but I wanted the knife out of her reach. I gestured to the pond with my head. She kicked the knife up with her foot and tossed it in to the pond. I heard it splash into the pond and I waited a few seconds, just to make sure it sunk to the bottom.

Once I was sure, I sat on my haunches and my pupils dilated completely. My ear twitched, waiting for her to make a move. She took a step forward, holding one of the fish outwards. I crouched and stalked towards the fish. I probably looked ridiculous doing that. I opened my mouth, apparently revealing my toothless gums.

“Huh. Toothless?” she asked, utterly confused about me not having teeth. “I could have sworn you had–“ My teeth shot out. I took the fish between my teeth and chomped it twice. Then I swallowed. Hali took the other fish and tossed it to me. I caught it while flipping over. I heard Hali giggling. The laugh sort-of warmed me a bit.

I smiled at her. She smiled back. I looked over her and noticed just how thin she was. How long ago did this girl eat? I came towards her, sniffing her to see if she had any food for herself. She did not. _Alright, this girl needs to eat,_ I thought as I backed her into a boulder. She seemed scared.

“No, no, n–I don't have anymore!” she stuttered as she pressed firmly against the rock. I loomed over her. I churned my stomach until I found the fish. I then started hacking it up. I never really liked doing that, but this girl didn't seem like she ate at all in the past couple days. The fish slid onto my tongue and I let it slide into her lap. She turned a slight shade of green. I sat back down on my haunches, waiting for her to pick the fish up.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence. Didn't this girl know how to eat? Maybe she just didn't know that she was supposed to eat it. My eyes darted from her to the fish in her lap, then back to her. She sighed. She hesitantly brought the fish up to her mouth, then reluctantly took a bite. She chewed as she scrunched her face up. She looked up at me and hummed.

She did know to swallow, right? She hummed again. _Swallow, silly girl,_ I wanted to say to her. Instead, I swallowed, showing her what to do. She gave me a look that said all too clearly 'are you kidding me?' She looked up, the squeezed her eyes shut. At first it looked like she was going to be sick but she finally got it down her throat. She shuddered.

I licked my lips, asking her if she thought it was good. She smiled sheepishly. I cocked my head to the side as I peered closer at her. There was a different emotion in this smile. It was shy instead of excited. Why was she shy? I don't bite. Maybe if I did the same thing, she would feel more relaxed.

It didn't seem so hard. Just pull at the corners of your mouth and retract the teeth. Not so hard. But I bet I looked ridiculous. Her smile loosened slightly, as if she were studying me. Slowly, she started standing up and she reached her hand out, as if to touch me. My 'smile' loosened as well when she started getting closer. She did seem unsure of herself. Her hand was just about an inch away from my snout until a deep violet Monstrous Nightmare flew into the Cove, screeching my name.

“Sklivacio! Move before that _thing_ touches you!” she shouted at me. I saw the violet dragon forming a fire. I quickly moved in front of Hali and shielded her from being blasted with fire. Thank the gods for my fire-proof scales. I turned around, my wings covering Hali. I faced my former student who I trained for years. It seems like she's putting the training to use.

“Risandera, calm down!” I told her as I felt Hali start to cling onto me. “She is no threat t-”

“Yes, that th- wait, did you just say that thing has a status?” Risandera looked thoroughly surprised. Hali's grip loosened slightly.

“Yes I did! What, you thought that humans didn't have status?” Hali's grip fell. I turned around, wondering what made her loose her grip. She was clutching her back and she seemed to be in a great deal of pain that made me worry. “Are you alright?” I cooed.

Her head shot up. She stared wide-eyed at me. “I... uh...” she stuttered. I looked around her and her back seemed to be the source of her pain. I just barely nudged it and she collapsed. Her face was screwed up as she clutched her head, taking very large gulps of air. I nudged her shoulder, getting her attention.

“What happened?” I asked. I knew it was silly to be talking to a human, but I wasn't exactly thinking clearly. “Are you hurt?” That was when she did the unexpected. She slowly nodded, her eyes trained on me. I froze on the spot. Don't tell me this girl can understand me. It's impossible. There hasn't been a human to understand dragons for centuries. Unless... no way! That must be it! But I needed to make sure that it wasn't dumb luck.

“Can you... understand me?” I asked cautiously, stepping closer to her. Again she nodded, not taking her eyes off of me. I sat down net to her as she sat up. I allowed her to lean on me. “Why are you hurting?”

“Sklivacio, you mean that this girl can understand you? That's impossible.” Risandera jumped. “Unless... unless the prophecy is true.” That was why she could understand me and why she had the mark on her back. But sadly, I forgot it.

“Could you tell me the prophecy again?” If it is true, then I wanted to make sure.

“Alright.” Risandera took a deep breath.  _ “Ένα κορίτσι, ζουν για να αποθηκεύσετε την ημέρα. Μαζί με τον πρίγκιπα μαύρου παρελθόντος καρδιάς Κόλπο, αλλά και οι δύο ζουν με τίμημα. Ανάπηρος και απώλειες, καλές οι απώλειες έλλειψη. Το κοριτσάκι, ζει με το σημάδι πάνω στη ράχη. Ο Πρίγκιπας και πριγκίπισσα, και οι δύο θέλουν καλό. Θα έρθει μαζί και τέλος η αντιπαλότητα.”  _ I smiled.

“What in Thor's name does that mean?” Hali exclaimed. I turned around to her as she did the same. It made us hit each others head. We both looked away quickly to rub the injured spot.

“Sorry,” we both said at the same time.

Risandera chuckled. “A girl shall live to save the day. Along with the prince past Black Heart Bay, but both shall live with a price to pay. A cripple and loss, good the losses lack. The girl shall live with the mark on her back. Prince and princess, both wanting good. They shall come together and end the feud.” Hali seemed to be having trouble understanding why this was so important. I decided to explain it to her.

“Hali, it means that you are the princess that is destined to help me end this war.” I told her softly. She thought for a moment longer before her hand dropped into her lap. An instant later, she was on her feet.

“What?!” she cried. “Me? Stop a war? That's ridiculous!” She lost her balance, but I was right behind her. Her weight fell on my head and it was fairly light like I had expected. What I didn't mean to happen was her hand falling on my head. It was like an electric shock flowing through me. Memories from her started moving. A boy beating on her, being bullied by many of other people, but there was one that startled me the most. I saw Hali standing in shock and watching a woman fall to the ground. I saw Hali being dragged away from the woman as she screamed “Momma!” Her mother had died only when she was little.

The memories left almost as soon as they had come. I looked up at her to see the same expression on her. I had never known she had suffered the same loss as I had. But how can she be bullied. Her of all people. She was one of the kindest creatures ever to walk this earth! Whoever was bullying her will pay.

“Are you alright?” I asked as she slowly regained her balance.

“Y... yeah, I'm fine.” she whispered. I laid down, using my tail to make her lie down as well. She seemed to be having trouble taking all that in.

“But, Risandera, I can't fly,” I showed her my tail at her confused look.

“Well, yes, that could be a problem.” She rubbed her head with her wing.

“Oh, bud, I am so sorry!” Hali said. I turned my head around. “I didn't think that my contraption took your tail. I didn't mean to hit you in the first place. I-” I placed my head on her shoulder.

“It's okay, Hali,” I told her gently. “I know you didn't mean to hit me. I understand. Accidents can happen. I forgive you.” She looked up at me, her eyes showing me that she was truly sorry. I rubbed my head gently against hers. I wasn't mad at her. At the time when it came off I was, but now, I had no feeling of anger towards her.

“Thanks... uh... I can't pronounce your name.” She scratched the back of her neck, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. Oh I forgot about that. Dragon names are impossible to pronounce by human tongue. “Can I just give you a nickname?” At my confused expression she added, “A nickname is basically a different name from your real one. And sometimes, people need to make the nickname cute.”

I looked towards Risandera who seemed ready to go. “Sorry, but I need to go back and tell the recruits that you found her.” With that, she took into the sky. I shrugged and looked back at Hali.

“How about... Toothless?” she asked. “You know, for your retractable teeth.” I understood. I can be known as Toothless. Sweet!

“Sure.” I responded. She practically yipped with excitement. She reached for my neck and wrapped her arms around it. At first I tensed because I was not expecting her to do that, but I relaxed when I realized she was hugging me. She had shown me affection, even though she had only known me for a couple of days. I slowly wrapped my wing around her, not sure if I was doing it right. I felt her smile against my scales.

When she released, which I did not want her to do, she looked at the sky and nearly jumped out of her skin. “Oh gods! I need to get back before Gobber notices!” Turning back to me she added, “I'll be back tomorrow. And I will see what I can do about your tail.” She kissed me on the cheek and then ran towards the Cove walls. I sat there shocked. I watched her climb out of the Cove, not exactly believing what just happened. I smiled as I laid down and went to sleep with only Hali on my mind.

**Okay, that was quite a chapter to write. Also, do you guys think it would be a good idea for Toothless to be able to turn into a human at will? Let me know if you guys want to see that in this story. Bye! See you in the next chapter!**

 


	5. Chapter 5

**** **A Downed Dragon Is A Dead Dragon**

**The Next Day**

I keep thinking about Toothless, about what the Nightmare had said. She hadn't said it directly, though Toothless had. He said that I was the princess. But that is the least of my worries. The majority of the things on my mind is the language that dragons speak. I assume it did not have an official title, so I take the courtesy of calling it Dragontongue. It seems appropriate. My mind is spinning on how I can understand it. It makes no sense. None whatsoever. Nor does the 'me being a princess' thing make sense. I know this world is crazy, but at this level, it's ridiculous.

I walk into dragon training, my dagger in its sheath. I took one out of the forge earlier. I see Ashter and the others are already stretching. It seems silly. Stretching for strategy? I feel no need to do so. So I merely sit against the back wall, pull my journal out from my vest, and start doodling. I feel no need to draw anything specific.

My mind is probably on my drawing for a while until I hear Gobber shout, “Alright, welcome to strategy!” I quickly finish off my drawing and shove my journal and my pencil in my vest. I watch Gobber as he rounds all of the teens into the center, along with a fighting Ruffnut and Tuffnut. I sigh as I stand up and make my way to the line.

Snotlout gags at me, which isn't unexpected. I would be surprised if she didn't. Gobber paces around us, slapping Snotlout in the process. I stifle a laugh. “Strategy is the whole reason that most of us come out alive from these raids. Because we have plans. The most important thing about strategy is knowing your surroundings. That is why we are heading to Black Heart Bay!”

I freeze. Black Heart Bay? That means we go by the Cove. What if they find Toothless? I need to go warn him. I watch as Gobber leads the teens to the gate, but I stop him before he reaches them. “Gobber, can I go get my satchel that I left in the forest last night? It can't wait.” He seems to think about it for a moment but nods. I dash out of the arena and towards the Cove.

I am panting by the time I get to the Cove. I see Toothless sleeping in the Cove, not hidden by anything! I jump off of the wall and hurry towards. Who knows how much time I have to get him out of sight? I glance behind me to make sure they didn't come. I sigh, relieved, as I walk up to the sleeping dragon. I hate to wake him since he looks so peaceful, but he could possibly be killed on sight if anyone sees him.

“Toothless!” I shout, my head hurting from the cut I got when I was running through the forest. “Toothless, wake up!” I shake his fore-paw. He groggily sits up, his eyes half closed. They widen when his eyes set on my forehead.

“What happened?” he asks, concerned. He walks up to me, his face inches from mine. “Did one of those _Vikings_ hurt you? How deep is it? Is it infect-”

“Toothless calm down!” I interrupt. “I just ran into a tree, no it was not one of the Vikings' doings, and no it is not infected. You need to hide because the dragon training class is heading to Black Heart Bay and I don't want them to see you.” He nods. I stroke his head gently and he licks me.

I laugh as I wipe the slobber off of my face. I realize something when I put my arm down: my head isn't hurting anymore. My hand immediately goes up to where the cut is, or used to be. It seems to have healed when Toothless licked me. I stare at him in awe.

“I never told you?” he asks. I tilt my head to the side in confusion. “Us dragons have healing powers in our saliva. It doesn't heal the injured area completely, but it keeps it from getting infected. I'm glad that cut wasn't.” I smile at him and I scratch him behind the ears. I soon stop when I hear Gobber coming.

“IIIIIII've got my axe, and I've got my mace, and I love my wife with the ugly face! I'm a Viking through and through!” he sings. I panic. They're here!

“Go into that cave and I will come back and tell you when they've gone, okay?” I usher him towards the cave. He quickly turns around.

“Wait! Will you be alright?” he asks.

“I'll be fine. You just need to hide.”

“But-” He stops when I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into a gentle hug.

“I'll be fine, bud. I just want you to be safe. So please go in that cave and stay there until I come back. Got it?” I pull back to see him nod. “Good.” I kiss the top of his head and head towards the Cove walls. I feel the red stain my cheeks as I catch up with my class. Gobber chants his song over and over again as the others roll their eyes out of boredom. My nose tickles and I sneeze loudly, making everyone jump. Apparently they had no idea I was there.

“Hali!” Gobber gasps.

“Gobber!” I gasp in imitation.

“How long have you been here?” His eyes scan the forest, as if unsure if another me is going to pop out of the trees.

“Calm down. There is not going to be another me jump out and give you a heart attack! I just got here. Why?”

“No reason. Just don't scare me like that.” He turns back around and mumbles his song to himself. Sometimes Gobber really confuses me. I follow them slowly as I start to trail behind, making sure to remember my promise to Toothless. As we walk, my mind goes into overdrive.

I remember the first time I met Toothless in the Cove yesterday when he and another dragon told me about the prophecy. I want to believe that I can stop this war, but I can't. When I was born, they knew I would be a 'hiccup' so they were going to name me that. Though when they found out I was a girl, the changed it to Hali. It would've been Hicca but my mom decided against it.

I start to realize how much I care about him and I haven't even known him long. My mind lingers on my feelings. I have no idea how I am feeling. It's strange, but in a kind of good way. Though I can not focus on that. Right now, I need to find a way to quickly sneak away from the group, tell Toothless the coast is clear, and slip back here unnoticed.

I watch as the group take a turn into the forest, concealing them from view. The perfect opportunity to slip away. I quietly tiptoe away and to the Cove, making sure that no one noticed me sneak out. Once I am out of ear-shot, I make a mad dash to Toothless who thankfully was still in the cave I directed him to. I smile when Toothless looks up at me and I see relief clear in his eyes. He probably thought I was harmed or something.

I glance behind my shoulder, checking to see if anyone followed me. Seeing no one behind me, I climb down the rocky walls. He bounds over to me and tackles me to the ground, rubbing his head against my neck.

“Whoa!” I exclaim as I am pinned to the ground. I stay still as Toothless examines me, checking for any injuries done to me. “Bud, I'm fine!” I manage to sit up when he backs up slightly. “Toothless, I can't stay long, but I'll see if I can manage to make it back tonight.” He nods as I stand up.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asks.

“I'll be fine,” I stroke his head gently, reassuring him that I will be fine. “I'll do my best to come back unnoticed.” I then turn and run to the walls, hoping that I can get there before anyone actually notices. Pft. Like that will happen.

I finally catch up to the group after the long walk to them. They all are chattering while Gobber is now singing his song at the top of his lungs. What I catch most of the chattering is the most hurtful thing I have ever heard from Snotlout.

“You know,” she whispers to Ruffnut. She whispers loud enough for me to hear it. “I think Hali should have died along with her _stupid_ mother. What do you think?” Rage boils up inside me. No one insults my mother. _No one._

“Fuck you, Snotlout!” I shout at her. I brush past her and catch up to Gobber who I know will be there for me. I feel the tears threatening to come out. Gobber stops singing when he notices me next to him, my arms wrapped around me, my head hung low. I don't need to say anything as Gobber puts his arm around my shoulder, guiding me away from the other teens.

“Things will get better, Hali,” he tells me in a whisper. “I promise. This is just one bump in your life. You'll get past it and it will make you stronger.” I look up at him. This is one of the few times when he says something right and it helps me feel better. Gobber tries, but sometimes the words don't always come out right.

I smile at him and he smiles back, knowing he said the right thing.

{Let's just skip the tedious walking and get right to Black Heart Bay}

We walk onto the shore after possibly the longest walk of our lives. Though Gobber, even though he has a prosthetic limb, is at the top of his energy somehow. He begins instructing us on how to take in our surroundings. I've already done that so I sit on a rock near the crashing waves. My knees are drawn up to my chest as I stare out into the distance. The sight of the sun setting makes me feel sleepy. It's either that or the impossibly long walk from the village to here.

“Hali!” Gobber calls, grabbing my attention. I turn around as he tosses a fishing pole to me. It doesn't look like the ones we have at the village. This one is a makeshift-fishing pole, made from a stick and a long string with a small hook attached to the bottom of the string. He sits next to me and casts the line into the ocean, the waves swallowing the hook.

“You know how to fish, right?” he asks me as I cast my line into the water.

“Yeah,” I reply, shifting myself on the rock to sit more comfortably. “Mom and dad taught me how when I was five. 'Course I haven't fished for a while, so get ready to pull me out of the water.” I end with a laugh and Gobber laughs with me.

“Nah, you'll be fine.” We watched our lines in silence until my line got a tug. I snap my head up because I was starting to drift off. I start pulling my line to see the most peculiar thing. There was a fish with another fish on its tail. And just above the line was another fish.

“What the?” I stare at the fish on my line in confusion. I look to Gobber for an explanation. He laughs as he grabs hold of my line.

“Oh Thor!” he exclaims, the wide grin not leaving his face. “You've got the lucky catch!” He takes each fish off and skews each one on a stick. He then hands each one to us. He catches his own fish and does the same thing.

“I can start the fire, Gobber,” I offer as I follow him away from the shore. He nods and I walk to the woods, looking for good firewood. I walk deeper into the woods and stop when I hear rustling in the bushes ahead. I reach for my dagger, my eyes stuck on where the rustling had come from.

“Who's there?” I ask cautiously. I glance behind me to see only trees. I am completely submerged in the forest. I turn my head back around to see... a bunny. I face-palm myself. I get scared of a bunny. I shake my head in anger. I jump when I hear Gobber call my name.

Gobber pokes his head into the trees. “Ah, there you are, Hali. You alright there? You seem a bit shaken up.”

I wave it off. “Nah, I’m fine. I just need a little help finding some firewood.” Gobber comes through the trees and we both start collecting firewood.

After a few splinters (mostly in me) we finally have enough firewood and bring them back to the others. I see Ruffnut and Tuffnut fighting again, (no surprise there), Ashter trying to tell Snotlout how to hold a fish on a stick, and Fishlegs reading his book. I look to Gobber.

“Come on, lass,” he tells me. “You'll have to face 'em sooner or later.” I sigh as we make our way towards them. Gobber and I set up the firewood and Gobber lit it. We all sit around the fire, roasting our fish, in silence.

“Gobber,” I whisper to him. He leans over. “Tell them about how you lost your limbs.” I know he loves telling that story. His face lights up and he faces the teenagers. They all give him wary looks, possible wondering what Gobber was thinking.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I lost my limbs?” he asks. Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs sit up attentively, Snotlout eyes Gobber, and Ashter stares. “Well, I was walking through the forest, ready to hunt the boars when all of a sudden a Monstrous Nightmare took my arm and swallowed it whole. And I could tell from the look on his face. I was delicious. And it wasn't until a month later when another one took my leg.”

The twins stare in awe at Gobber's prosthetic arm and leg. Fishlegs seems to have a question in mind.

“Isn't it weird that if your hand was in a dragon?” he wonders. “What if your arm was still alive so you could crush a dragon's heart from the inside?” We all stare at him. No, that is not weird, it is creepy.

“I swear I'm so angry right now!” Snotlout says angrily. “I'll avenge your beautiful hand, and your beautiful foot! I'll chop off the head of every dragon I see!” Way to be a kiss-up, Snotlout.

Gobber hums in disagreement. “Nope! It's the wings – the tails you want. If the dragon can't fly, it can't get away. Like the saying goes, a downed dragon is a dead dragon.” The last sentence hits me. Toothless is missing a tail fin. And he's stuck in the cove! How will he get out without the proper flight necessities? I need to fix that.

Gobber stands and stretches. “Alright, we should be off if we're going to get back by noon. Come on, let's go!” The teens groan. I, with the rest of them, follow Gobber back to the village. _Tomorrow,_ I promise myself. _Tomorrow, I will find a way to get Toothless back into the air._


	6. I'm Pretty Sure That Is Not How You Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter does contain names that should never be used on anyone. There is also a bit of fluff.

**I'm Pretty Sure That Is Not How You Fly**

I scream when Gobber bursts through my room and shouts my name. I roll out of bed, taking the blanket and pillow with me. My limbs are aching, and I can hardly catch myself before I face-plant on the floor. I glare at Gobber as he walks over to me, the widest grin on his face. Oh why can't he let me sleep in a little longer? I am still exhausted from the long walk back from Black Heart Bay.

“Morning Hali!” he exclaims gleefully. His cheerful exclamation shocks me. How can he be at full energy? Especially after that long walk to and from Black Heart Bay.

I groan. Well, I know that I am not at full energy. “Why can't I sleep in just a little longer?” I toss the blanket and pillow with a miserable aim towards my bed.

“You can go to sleep once I’m done. I had to let you know that I will be going on a fishing trip today and I won't be back until tonight. The test is canceled so you guys have a free day. Enjoy yourself.” With that, he walks out. I shoot up, my lack of energy forgotten. This means I have the forge to myself! I can work on that tail fin for Toothless.

Toothless.

I told Toothless I would come back last night. He's probably worried sick. But, he can wait just a couple more hours, right? I hope so. I jump onto my feet and race down the stairs, not bothering to eat anything, considering I wasn't hungry. I may have tripped a couple times on the stairs.

I swing the door open only to be hit in the face by something I couldn't identify. I hear someone laughing as I fall to the floor. My guess is Snotlout. I glare at her as she leaves the house. While she isn't looking, I can't resist so I flip her off.

I slowly stand up, my eye stinging from the punch. _Well, that will leave a mark,_ I think as I walk out of my house. _And a very worried Toothless._ I head to the forge as quickly as I can and pull out the drawings I have of Toothless. Most of them are memory drawn. I have a very detailed drawing of Toothless's tail fin.

I get to work. I pull out many pieces of leather just to make a prototype. I then pull out metal bolts, and a rod of metal to have support for the leather. I also snag some thin rods of metal to help with the shape and mimic the three bones that I saw on Toothless's real fin. I take out my sewing kit and a balance to test the weight. If it's not right, then oh well. This is a prototype anyway.

As I reach for my journal, I see a small note on the cover of it. I take it off of my journal and read the note which I probably shouldn't have done. On the note, it says: _Stupid, anorexic bitch!_ I clutch the note in anger and shove it in my belt. I turn around and start working on the prosthetic.

 _I am not anorexic! I'm just thin,_ I think as the tears stung my eyes. _I know I’m not stupid. But that last word, that was crossing the line._ I hammer (pretty sure I almost banged my fingers in at one point) at the prosthetic tail fin until I was sure it was ready. I had checked every little detail to make sure it was right. I then pick up the tail fin and stop by the storage house to grab a basket of fish. I don't know why Gobber had to go fishing, considering the whole storage house is full of baskets of fish.

I take the basket, along with the tail fin, and run towards the Cove, wanting to get away from the village as soon as possible. I feel the tears starting to come out and I hold them in as much as possible. I can let them out when I’m with Toothless. He won't think I'm weak, right?

“Toothless!” I call, my voice cracking as I did so. I climb down the walls, being very careful not to drop the things I am holding. But unfortunately, I have to drop the prosthetic fin onto the ground in order to keep my balance.

I watch as Toothless bounds over to me as soon as I reach the ground. There is worry clear in his eyes. I am not sure if it was because of my black eye or that I was late. I'm pretty sure it was the black eye plus the worry of the 'me being late' thing.

“Are you okay?” he asks. I have to wait before I could let any tears out. I nod as I tip the basket over with a full dragon buffet. He studies me carefully before walking over to the pile and eating some.

“Not that hungry today?” I joke. He looks at me with an expression that says all to clearly, _you didn't eat, did you?_ I smile sheepishly. He starts advancing towards me and I back up, not exactly sure of what he is planning. He stops progressing to me when my back is firmly against the wall.

“Um, Toothless what are you-?” I stop short when he starts making choking sounds in his throat that are all too familiar. After that, a fish head plops into my lap, covered in saliva. I am not sure if this thing is safe to eat. I stare at Toothless as he sits back on his haunches.

“Eat,” he orders. At that, I'm pretty sure all of the color drains from my face. Really? He wants me to do this again? “Eat.” he orders me again. Obviously. _Oh boy,_ I think. _This is not going to sit well._

I hesitantly lift the fish up to my lips as I look to Toothless. He clearly wasn't moving until he has seen me eat something. Better sooner than later. I take a bite out of the fish and let me say that it is _not_ the most appetizing thing I could have had. Still, I am happy that he cares.

The bite I took lingers in my mouth because I was dreading the swallowing. I nod to him in hopes that he would be satisfied. Apparently not as he swallows, showing me what he wants me to do. _You have got to be kidding me!_ I want to shout. Instead, I breathe out in annoyance and swallow. It didn't go down the first time (which I knew it wouldn't), so I try again and it did go down.

I just hope it stays down. I look to Toothless as he smiles at me. _He wants to know if I enjoyed it._ Well, that is hard to answer. I answer by smiling back, letting him know I appreciate it.

“I will keep doing that until I see you eat,” he taunts. I sigh at him. He is acting like an over-protective parent.

He prods me in the side with his nose. “Alright! Alright!” I yelp as I throw my hands up in surrender. “I'll go eat. Can you light a fire for me?” He nods, happy that he was going to see me eat. We sit down by the lake and he lights a fire for me. I grab a nearby twig and skewered a fish onto it. Then, I hold it above the fire.

“Why do humans do that?” Toothless asks as he curls up around me and finishes up his meal. I look at him, confused. “You know, why do humans put their food over a fire?” That reminds me of the raw fish-head I just ate.

“It's because, human stomachs don't particularly like uncooked food,” I explain as I start to eat the fish. “I don't exactly know why.”

“Can it make you sick?” he wonders.

“Sometimes, yes. But other times it just acts as regular food!” I add hastily as he looks at me worriedly. He relaxes as he wraps his tail around me. Sadly, his tail hit the note that I crumpled up earlier. His tail stops where it was and Toothless eyes where the crinkling noise had come from.

“Oh, that,” I say as I take the note out of my belt. “It's nothing, really.” My voice chokes. _Really?_ I ask myself. _Now he's going to know something about this piece of paper made me upset._ He nudges the piece of paper in my hands.

“What's it say?” he asks. Oh no.

I breathe in deeply. He has a right to know what it said. I open the crumpled piece of paper up and read it out slowly. After that, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I bury my face into his neck as the tears flow out of me. All of the pain, hatred, bullying, everything just came out at once.

“Whoa, there,” he exclaims. Noticing my tears, he wraps his wings around me, whispering softly into my ear. “Shh, it's okay. It's okay.” he soothes. He continues attempting to calm me, which it does a little, but it wasn't enough to stop all of that. His soft whispers reassures me that he is always going to be there for me. He does this for a while until I was finally able to contain myself and stop the tears that were streaming down my face.

I sit up but Toothless does not remove his wings from where they were and I do not want him to. It gives me a sense of security. I wipe the tears from my face, careful not to touch my eye. He nudges me slightly.

“Thanks, Toothless,” I say. “I guess I kinda needed to let that out.”

Toothless makes an affirmative noise. “Now, what happened to your eye?” He nudges my eye which stings.

“Ow!” I yelp. Toothless rears back and licks it apologetically. I stroke his head. “It's alright bud. I just got punched. It's nothing serious. It happens all the time.” Oops.

“What do you mean it happens all the time? Who did this?” He starts bombarding me with questions.

“My cousin,” I say simply. I pull out my journal and flip to the pages where I drew the teens, Gobber, and my dad. First I show Ashter. “This is Ashter. Guy my age. Doesn't really bully me, just glares at me and ignores me. I used to have a crush on him, but for a while, he's been a real jerk, so that crush is done.” Then I flip to the pages that show Ruffnut and Tuffnut. “That's the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut.”

Next shows Fishlegs. “That is Fishlegs. He's an okay guy.” Lastly of the teens is Snotlout. “Then, that is Snotlout, my cousin. She is the 'leader of the bullies.' Real full of herself.” He croons at me.

“When I get my paws on that Snotlout,” he mutters angrily. I chuckle.

“Thanks, bud. That's sweet that you care but I don't see any way that you can hurt Snotlout without getting hurt yourself. Anyways,” I decide to change the subject. “I have a prosthetic tail fin that will hopefully let you fly.” He perks up as I said this.

He races me to the prosthetic tail fin that was lying on the ground. I pick it up as he circles me excitedly. ”Whoa, bud!” I shout as his tail almost makes me lose my balance. “You gotta hold still for me to gut this tail fin on you.” He sits immediately. I laugh and I make my way over to his tail.

I sit on his tail and start buckling on the tail fin. Once it's done, I see Toothless waggle his real fin. “Well,” I examine. “It doesn't look too bad. And if it works...” One moment I'm one the ground and on the next, I'm clinging to Toothless's tail for dear life. My mind is racing, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. How in the world do we humans live without flying?

I notice that we aren't gliding smoothly through the air anymore. Instead, we are crashing towards the ground. I see the tail fin as it closes in, and using all my common sense, I pull the tail fin out, shooting us up to the sky.

“Oh gods! It's working!” I cheer. I steer us back to the cove and we soar over the lake. My invention finally works! “Yes! Yes, I did it!”

Toothless brings his tail around. I see his eyes widen at me. “What the? Hali! This is unsafe! Get off before you get hurt!” he screeches. Before I know it, he flings me off and I am skipping on the lake like those pebbles that you throw at the lakes. I sink in the water as I hear Toothless fall in as well. I quickly resurface to see Toothless coming towards me. Thank Thor he didn't hit his head.

“Are you okay, bud?” I ask as I swim over to him. He shakes the water off of his head which leads to almost all of the water droplets falling onto me.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” he says. I smile at him and then for the first time, I realize I can't touch the bottom of the pond/lake. I quickly grab onto Toothless's neck from fear of sinking to the bottom. I am not that good of a swimmer.

He looks at me confused. “Um, I can't swim very well.” I explain. He nods as he picks up the back of my tunic and puts me on his back.

“Just hold on,” he tells me. “I can get us back to shore.” I smile gratefully at him as he swims to shore. He trudges up the shore and lays down as I climb off his back.

“Thanks, Toothless.” I say when I sit down next to him. He pulls me towards him with his tail and wraps his wings around me.

“How did you make this tail fin?” he asks me as I lay my head on him. He brings his tail in view.

“Lots of measurements and sewing.” I explain. “It's just a prototype, unless it works for you?”

He looks at his tail. “I think it is good. But I don't want you clinging to my tail to help me fly.”

“I'll think of something later. Right now, I need a nap.” He nods and he lets me lay down beside him. He covers me with his wing and I fall asleep faster than you can say 'dragon.'


	7. Not Possible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless's description of his human form is going to be different from others. And I am so sorry about the short chapter. I've been having writer's block and it sucks. Next chapter will be longer though.

**Not Possible**

The sun stings my eyes as I groggily sit up. I push the arm off of my torso. Hold up. Arm?!

My head instantly snaps over to where Toothless is... or was. Instead of seeing my dragon, I see a boy, somewhere around my age, laying on the grass where my dragon should be. He has hair as black as night and embarrassingly has no clothes on. His skin is around as pale as mine with many freckles. I start scooting away from the boy as he starts to wake up. I can just see the color of his eyes before they close again, probably blinded by the sun.

I hear him groan as he starts to sit up. He slams his hand on the ground to keep himself from falling. His eyes snap open as they look to his hand. He practically screeches at his hand. I scratch the top of my head. _Is this guy like not used to his own self or something?_ I ask myself as the boy tries to stand up.

He quickly catches his balance and slowly evens himself out. He looks at me, his head tilted in confusion. “Hali, you okay?” he asks which takes me by surprise. First, he is talking in Dragontongue. Second, how in the Nine Worlds does he know my name? I scoot further back, leading the boy to more confusion.

I dare to speak. “W... who are you?” I make sure that my eyes do not wander to places that I do not need to be seeing.

“Hali-” Before he can say anything else, a Monstrous Nightmare flies into the Cove, a wide grin on her face. She lands in the Cove, amusement flickering in her eyes.

“My, my Sklivacio,” she says. “It looks like you've finally grown into your powers.” She looks him over. “But apparently I need to show you how to change into human with clothes.” She taps her tail on the top of the boy's head. The transformation is bright. I see wings starting to form out out of his back. Before I know it, a bright light shows up and I see my dragon sitting before me.

“Toothless!” I shout. I run to him and throw my arms around him. He wraps his wings around me. I pull back just enough to look him in the eye. “You never told me you could turn into a human.” I try to look hurt, but it didn’t work so well.

“I didn't know myself,” he says. He nuzzles my neck affectionately. “Sorry if I startled you.”

I hug him tightly again. “It's okay.” I slowly release him. I look over to the Monstrous Nightmare (I still can't pronounce their names). “Did you just say that he's 'grown into his powers?'”

The dragon nods. “Yes. He, being the prince, has the ability to turn into a human at will. It uses a certain energy that Night Furies use to shoot their fire. But, if he fires a fire-bolt with extreme power, he could lose the power to turn into a human. So unless you really need to use a fire-bolt with that intensity, I suggest not using that energy unless it's a life-or-death situation.”

“So, Toothless has the ability to turn into a human at will?” I repeat. The dragon nods. I can't keep calling her 'the dragon.' “Also, do you mind if I give you a nickname like I did with Toothless?” She nods again, interest flickering in her eyes. I look her over, thinking of a good name that describes her. It seems silly but, “How about Fireworm?”

“Fireworm,” she repeats. “Sure! I like it.” I smile. Fireworm turns to Toothless. “Now, like I said, you need to know how to turn into a human with 'clothes' on. I am pretty sure seeing you without them is going to make Hali a bit uncomfortable.”

I smile sheepishly. “Wait, why would it make her uncomfortable?” Toothless asks.

“Well.. because...um,” I stutter. I blow out a sigh of frustration. How do I explain this?

“Do you ever wonder why humans aren't showing their statuses?” she asks, saving me from answering. Toothless nods. “It's because they wear clothes. It seems like they are embarrassed about showing their status.”

I nod in agreement. “Exactly.”

Toothless looks at me confused, before shaking his head and turning to Fireworm. “So... about that human clothes thing...”

Fireworm nods instantly. “Hali, you might want to stand back.” I back up as Fireworm bats her tail on Toothless again. I am about to question why she wants me to back up and why she keeps hitting Toothless on the head with her tail, until I am thrown back several feet as Toothless changes his form again. My back slams against the Cove walls when Toothless fully changes, this time with clothes which I am grateful for.

I see spots around my vision. My head spins as I stand up and sit back down, trying to settle my head down. I feel my breath becoming uneven, the spots increasing, narrowing my sight. I lie my head down, hopping to calm my vision.

“Hali!” I hear someone shout. I can't tell who it is as they come over to me. I reach my hand out, hoping to know who it is. I feel a hand touch my hand. I catch a glance of Toothless standing next to me, in his human form and fully clothed, before I pass out.


	8. Secrets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been reading a few fanfics but my writer's block is slowly going away and I am back to writing again. Hopefully this chapter makes up for the last one. There's also a surprising twist in this chapter that you guys will probably find surprising.

**Secrets Revealed**

{Toothless's POV}

I clutch Hali's hand as she blacks out. The blast from my transformation must have knocked her out. Her face is as pale as the moon. I know she is pale for her age, but her skin tone is fairly paler. I grab her by the arm and pull her up. I kneel down and lay her into my lap.

“Risandera!” I call. She flies over to me. She looks at Hali with concern. I brush a bit of hair out of her face. She looks like she has a burn on her cheek. I stroke it gently and she flinches slightly.

“I guess she hasn't been hit with this type of force before,” Risandera says as she lies down beside me.

“But she's a princess,” I object. “Surely she's been through strong hits before.”

“Sklivacio, in case you haven’t noticed, she only just found out that she's a princess.” Risandera nudges Hali's leg softly. She doesn’t move. Risandera sighs. “Like I said, even though she is a princess, it'll take a long time for her strength to build up.”

“So, how do I get her up?” I ask.

“Uh.. I could just do this,” Risandera stands up and taps Hali on her head with her tail. Hali instantly jolts up, her eyes scanning the Cove in a panic.

“Do you just have a magic tail or something?” I watch Hali start to sit up as Risandera chuckles. I gently grab her arm, lowering her into a sitting position. She stares at me in confusion for a moment before she seems to remember what happened. She smiles nervously at me and I smile back.

“So... what do I do in this... um... form?” I ask, gesturing to myself as I look to Risandera. She chuckles.

“I'd suggest staying in your dragon form until you have more experience with humans.” She brushes her tail against my leg. I sigh as I focus on transforming back to dragon form, this time slightly slower in case I hit Hali.

I feel my wings coming out of my back as well as my back itself changing. My eyes change shape and my vision turns sharper. My hearing intensifies and that's when I hear the tail Hali made for my. I turn my head around to see Hali undoing the tail fin.

“What are you doing?” I ask, noticing her have trouble unfastening the buckle.

“I need to make a couple modifications to the tail fin,” she explains as she takes it off. “Besides, Gobber is probably worried so I need to go check in with him. I'll be back later though.” She takes the fin in her arms.

“Promise?” I step towards her.

“Yes, I promise.” She bends down and kisses my cheek before turning around and climbing the walls. She stops at the top and waves to me. Then she turns around and runs to the village. I hear Risandera chuckling behind me. I turn to her in confusion.

“You're growing feelings for her,” she says. I would be blushing furiously if I didn't have black scales. There's that tingle again. It's been happening for a while and I still don't know what it is!

“Feelings of what, exactly?” I ask, wondering what she could possibly be thinking.

She chuckles. “Of _love,_ Sklivacio.” Yeah, I'm pretty sure my scales just turned pink. I look at the ground, avoiding her eyes as a small smile grows on my face. I pray to the gods that she didn’t see it. Unfortunately, the gods are not on my side today. I hear her burst into a fit of dragon chuckles.

“You're trying so hard to hide it!” she says as her chuckles go away. “Why don’t you just tell her?”

I stare at her like she had turned into a Zippleback. “Are you crazy?!” I exclaim.

“Somewhat.” She walks up to me. “Look, it won't be that hard t-”

“Yes it will!” I cut her off. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

“ _Doesn’t feel the same-_ ” she sputters. “Sklivacio, I can see the way she looks at you! I know that look! You give her the same one.” I am about to object before she stops me. “Just tell her when she comes back. She will feel the same.” I grumble. It will not be easy.

{Hiccup's POV}

I walk into the forge, only to see a crossbow pointed at me. I raise my hands up, dropping the tail fin on the ground. “Don't shoot!” I exclaim, a smirk growing on my face when I see Gobber holding it.

“I would never shoot you, Hali. Unless I absolutely have to.” He chuckles and puts the crossbow back in its holder. He turns back to me. “What's that you have there?” He gestures to the tail fin.

My smirk vanishes and I quickly sweep it behind me. “Nothing,” I say all too quickly. Great, now he knows something's up. He starts walking over to it. He gently moves me out of the way before I can stop him from picking it up. _No, no, no, no!_ I think in a panic as I try to stop him. _This is not happening! He can't find out!_

He stops me from snatching the tail away as he starts to open it. I search in my mind or anything that I can say to cover this up without giving my secret away. I watch as his eyes turn from confusion, to absolute glee. He turned to me, a bright smile on his face.

He picks the tail fin up. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Um... uh... what are _you_ thinking it is?” I ask nervously.

He puts it down and pulls up seats. “Sit.” I do as he says and he closes the forge doors and windows and changes the sign to closed. I feel the cold autumn air slipping through the cracks in the closed window.

I sit and wait as Gobber examines the tail fin. I keep trying to think of something but nothing seems to work. I sigh. There's no way I can get out of this one. I watch helplessly as Gobber further examines the tail fin. Then he sits down in front of me. I have a feeling he knows something I don’t.

“You've found him, eh?” he asks after a while. I look at him curiously. He didn't mean Toothless, right?

“W... who are you talking about?” I press.

He leans forward as says in a low whisper, “Your dragon, Hali.” I stare at him in shock. He _did_ mean Toothless. So, why isn’t he freaking out?

“H... how do you know?” I ask, nervousness dripping in my voice.

He smiles and leans back. “I've known this was your destiny since you were a wee little baby. Almost the size of my wooden leg.” He knew? He seems to be reading my thoughts as he says, “I've read many stories in my younger ages, but this particular story I'd never thought would come true! And now, it has.” He gestures to me.

“So, you've known all this time and never told me?” I lean back in my chair.

“I knew you had to figure it out on your own. I was shocked when I saw you for the first time and I saw that birthmark on your back. I was alarmed so I had raced to my home and re-read the story. That was when I knew it was true. No one had ever wanted to read it because it was against this whole feud with the dragons. I tried to tell Stoick about it, but he said the story was rubbish and he refused to believe his daughter would face such a terrible fight.

“I was getting worried because I knew what kind of battle you'll have to face and I want to prepare you. You will be facing a dragon a size just a little bit smaller than Badmist Mountain. I don’t know much about it, but I know he is called Merciless and will do anything to kill the prophecy. That is why, starting tomorrow, every weekend, I will be training you privately in battle techniques. And I want to see your dragon.”

That made me freeze. I believe every word Gobber had just told me, but I have no clue on how Toothless will react. But, I trust Gobber not to harm Toothless and Toothless not to hurt Gobber. Eventually, I nod because I need both of their help if I am going to complete this prophecy.

“Alright, but I need to make some modifications to the tail,” I say as I gesture to the tail fin.

“We'll work on it together.” He smiles at me and I smile back. We stand up and I take the tail fin to the crafting bench where we start updating it.

It takes us about a half hour before the tail fin is updated. I have Gobber take his weapon off but he insists on each of us carrying a small dagger in case of trouble. Once we exit the forge, I grab a basket of fish and we head to the Cove. On the way, Gobber had been marveling at views of nature. I had to snap him out of his daze more that twice.

I stop at the top of the walls to see Toothless drinking from the pond. I turn to Gobber. “Okay, wait here and I'll go talk to him. Come down when I tell you to.” He nods and I start climbing silently down the walls. I land with a quiet thump as I put the basket of fish down. I approach Toothless slowly and before he can turn around, I jump on his neck surprising him and make him stumble into the pond.

I paddle frantically to the surface and grab onto Toothless's back. I may need to take swimming lessons later. Toothless swims to the shore where he and I sit down. He sniffs the air and looks at my belt.

“You have a weapon,” he observes. “Why?”

“Because Gobber wanted me to bring a weapon on the way in case we ran into trouble,” I explain.

“Okay. Wait...” He looks around and back at me. “Are you implying that you brought him here?” I swear I see a small hint of disappointment in his eyes.

I smile sheepishly. “Don't worry. He's one of the good ones. Gobber come on down!” I call to him. I watch him like a hawk as he cautiously climbs down and reaches the bottom safely. He looks like he had won the Viking Games when he turns to me.

I stand up and motion him over. He stands beside me as he looks ready to run in case Toothless jumps him. I put my hands out in a calming gesture for both of them. “Relax, you two. Toothless, Gobber is not mean to me. He is pretty much the opposite. And Gobber, Toothless is not going to attack you. I will make sure of that.”

Toothless relaxes as his pupils dilate and he gives Gobber a gummy smile. Gobber returns it. “Alright, now that introductions are over, Gobber. Can you tell Toothless what you told me in the forge?” Gobber nods and he and I sit down. Toothless watches attentively as Gobber explains everything to Toothless that he did for me.

I can just tell these two will get along well. Once he is done, I ask, “Alright, who's ready for some flying? And Gobber, I may need some supervision.”


	9. Three Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this chapter is going to be somewhat different. You know how in movies there are two people in two different spots and they are talking about something that is quite similar to each other? And then like in the middle of a sentence they switch to the other person? Well, maybe you don’t but you will see what I'm talking about in this chapter. Each line break will represent a point of view change between Hali and Toothless. BTW, this is a very fluffy chapter.
> 
> I just realized that I left the part about Hiccup reading the dragon manual out. The next chapter will be about that. I completely butchered the movie. *face-palm*

**Three Words**

{Toothless Point of View}

I watch as Hali goes around me and starts to secure the tail. I had been disappointed when Hali said that she brought a friend with her. Even though I am positive he doesn't understand Dragontongue, it'll still be hard to tell Hali how I feel in front of him. Though I’m kind of glad he came so I don’t have to embarrass myself. Maybe I can back out of this agreement.

My eyes dart between the both of them. “Gobber,” as she called him, was watching her with pride. Confusion strikes me. Is Gobber like a guardian or mentor to her or something? Is he going to help train her? These questions flow through my mind as Hali finishes attaching the tail fin.

“Is it good, Gobber?” she asks as she turns to him. He nods approvingly. She smiles. Gobber reaches into the basket and pulls out a rope. He tosses it to Hali. She then kneels next to my tail and attaches the rope to the fin.

“What are you doing?” I ask. She turns to me as she finishes off the knot.

“Well, I want to get you back in the air and I don't think it would be safe for either of us if I was clinging to your tail,” she explains as she backs away from my tail. I bring it in front of me to see what she changed. It looks stronger, I'll give her that. Other than that, it looks fine. I am about to thank her for it, until I hear Risandera calling my name.

I look to Hali. “I'll be right back.” I say tell her then I run to where Risandera was. “What are you doing?” she asks in a harsh whisper.

I sit down beside her in the back of the cave she was hiding in. “What are you talking about?” I whisper back, glancing at Hali to see her talking to Gobber.

“Why haven’t you told her you like her?” Her gaze burns into me.

“I... I have-”

* * *

“-No idea what you are talking about!” I say in a whisper so Toothless doesn't hear me.

“Come on, Hali,” Gobber whispers. “I've seen the way you look at him. And I know the look you have after you come back to the village from a walk in the forest. You have feelings for him.” I scoff. Although I look like it isn’t true on the outside, I am panicking on the inside. He shouldn’t know about that!

“I know nothing of which you are talking about,” I tell him.

“ _Nothing of which-”_

* * *

“ _-you're talking about,”_ Risandera scoffs. “Listen to yourself Sklivacio! You _so_ know what I am talking about. Don’t try to hide it from me. You've mentored me from my first day as a hatchling and I remember all of the looks you have. Even the ones where you have strong feelings. I especially know the ones that Hali has, considering I'm a girl.”

I stand in frustration. “But she's a human and I'm a dragon! How is it natural?”

“But he's a dragon and I'm a human! How is this supposed to even work?” I exclaim as I start pacing in a small circle. I start running my hands through my hair as I groan.

“Hali,” Gobber says as he grabs my shoulders and stops my pacing. “He doesn't need to be the same species for you to have feelings for him. You like him for him, right?” I nod slowly, my cheeks turning red. “Then what's the big deal?”

“Well... what if-”

* * *

“-she doesn’t like me the same way?” I ask as I start pacing around in the limited space.

She stops me with her tail. I look her dead in the eye. “I know she does.” At my look of disbelief, she looks over to Hali and Gobber. “Look over there.” I do as she says to see Hali pacing around and Gobber trying to stop her as if it was the second time he's had to do that. I turn back to Risandera.

“Alright, I'll give it a shot,” I say as she stretches her wings. “Where are you going?”

“I think you may want to do this yourself. I'll be back tomorrow.” She then walks out and, with a wink at me, she flies into the sky silently.

* * *

“It's just... GAH!” I growl lowly as I sit down on the ground. I bring my knees up and put my elbows on my knees, my head in my hands. I peek out of the corner of my eye to see Gobber sitting down next to me. He rubs my back comfortingly.

“It sucks being a teenager, huh?” he says in understanding. I hum in agreement. “All of the hormones flying all over the place, mixed feelings, horrid mood swings. It's not what I call the highlight of my life.”

“Thank you for summing that up,” I mutter, my head still in my hands.

“Look, I'm just trying to tell you that if you keep this particular feeling inside, you will never forgive yourself if you don’t tell him how you feel. Besides, you are his princess.” I look up at him. I sigh.

“It's not that easy,” I lay my legs out in front of me and drop my arms to my side. “I mean, even if he does feel the same, it still isn’t easy telling someone how you feel.”

Gobber sighs as he puts his arm around me. He lets me lay my head on his shoulder. “I know it isn’t easy, but you're gonna have to sooner or later. And don’t tell me you choose later.” he adds as he sees me about to say something. I chuckle.

“You know me way too well,” I say.

“I've been your mentor since your were a six-year-old. 'Course I know you well.” He ruffles my hair, ignoring my protests.

“Alright, so if you know me well, than you would also know that I'm not good with words,” I tell him as I even out my hair.

“Well, then show him. And you know what I'm thinking.” He smirks.

“I don’t know about that, but I'll try it differently. Not a word to my father that I did this.” I point my finger at him.

“So what I'm hearing is you've just agreed.” He laughs at my expression. I shoot a small glare at him as he stands up. “'Right. I need to get back to the forge. Come to the forge when you can. And don’t think I just forgot what you've agreed on.” I sigh as Gobber climbs out of the cove and heads in the direction of the village.

 _He's never going to let me live this down,_ I think. I watch as Toothless walks over to me, nervousness in his eyes. _I don’t want to say it in human language. Maybe, if I think hard enough, maybe I can say it in Dragontongue._ Toothless lies down beside me, his tail twitching uneasily. I run my hand over his scales as I hope that I don’t mess this up.

I breathe in deeply. I quickly scan my brain for the right words to say. “Si itov wux.” I tense myself up, considering I had just told him I loved him in Dragontongue. For a moment, I feel like time freezes. Then, I feel wings wrapping around me. I look up to see Toothless smiling broadly at me.

“I love you, too,” he whispers. I quickly turn around and hug him tightly. I make a mental note to thank Gobber later. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I slowly back up, a wide grin on my face and turn to him.

“Come on,” she says, giggling a bit. “Let's try tail fin out.” She goes behind me and comes back with a rope in her hand. I crouch lowly so she can climb on. She settles herself on my back. I feel her shaking slightly.

“Nervous or something?” I ask, turning my head to look at her. She nods, the smile not leaving her face. Not that I want it to. I watch as she grips the rope.

“Okay,” she says as she tightens her grip on me. “On the count of three. One... two... THREE!” She yells as I take off. We are flying fine, at least until it comes to the landing.

“Alright, nice and slowly Hali,” I say as we near the pond. She yanks the rope, probably a bit too hard, and both of us go flying in different directions. I hit the water as Hali slides on the ground. I quickly swim out of the pond and run to her. She's lying on her back, her hands on her stomach.

I nudge her shoulder, fear coursing through me. If something bad happened to her... Thankfully nothing serious seems to be visible as she groans. She slowly sits up.

“Okay,” she coughs. “That was not nice and slow.” She smiles at me. I lie down next to her.

“Are you alright?” I ask as I nudge her shoulder again.

She nods. “Yeah, you?” I chuckle. I wrap my tail around her and pull her close to me. “Wanna try again?” I look at her like she's crazy. “Okay, okay. We'll take a break. Then, I need to go back to the forge. And I’ll have something to help with the tail fin.”


	10. The Dragon Manual

**The Dragon Manual**

“Let's review on the events of the first dragon fight,” Gobber says as he paces around us in the Great Hall. We had been called here for an emergency meeting. The twins thought that it was because they were going on some strange mission to fight in the wild, which I thought was pretty strange, even for them.

Snotlout thought that we were going to go find her ancestors jewelry. Ashter thought we were going to do some back-up training. Fishlegs thought that we were going to have a make-up test. But, unluckily for all of us, it was none of the above. Instead we are reviewing the events of the first lesson which I am pretty sure that the twins and Snotlout had forgotten about.

"Where did the twins go wrong today?” Gobber asks. I start zoning out until I hear my strange cousin make her usual flirty comment about Ashter.

“No, no, you were great,” she says. “That was so _Ashter_.” _What a kiss-up,_ I think as I roll my eyes.

“No, Ashter's right. You need to be hard on yourself.” Gobber turns to me. “Where did Hali go wrong today?” I glare at him. He just loves to mess with me sometimes.

“Uh, she showed up,” Ruffnut comments.

“She didn't get eaten,” Tuffnut counters.

“She's never where she's supposed to be,” Ashter says flatly, probably shooting a glare at me. Well, at least _he_ can come up with a good answer.

“Thank you, Ashter,” Gobber says, happy to have a sensible answer. “You need to live and breathe this stuff: The Dragon Manual.” I hear him push a plate to the side and plop a book onto the tabletop. “It's everything we know about every dragon we know of.” He looks up for a moment, listening for something. _The Dragon Manual, huh? Maybe I can find some more information on Night Furies._

“No attacks tonight,” he mutters. “Study up.”

Tuffnut drops the dagger he was playing with. “Wait, you mean... read?”

“While we're still alive?” Ruffnut looks as confused as Tuffnut.

“Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about,” Snotlout asks. I roll my eyes. _So you know what to do, idiot,_ I think.

Fishlegs bounces excitedly in his seat. “Oh! I've read it about seven times. There's this water dragon that spits boiling water at your face! And there's this other one that-”

Tuffnut cuts him off. “Yeah that sounds great. There was a chance I was going to read this thing...” He leans back.

“... but now...” Ruffnut says.

Snotlout pushes the bench back. “You guys can read this, I'll go kill stuff.” Tuffnut shoves his sister over as Fishlegs continues his excited muttering. I stand and walk towards the manual.

I see Ashter sitting there, and being the ridiculous person I am, I try to make a conversation with him. “So, I guess we'll share?”

Ashter glares at me. He shoves the book away from himself as he stands up. “Read it.”

“All mine then, okay. So I guess I'll see you...” The door slams closed. “... tomorrow.” Rude.

Later that night, I come into the Great Hall with a lit candle. Gobber said that he left the manual in there. I place the candle next to the book as I sit down on the bench. I hear the thunder booming in the sky. It just adds to the empty a darkness of the Great Hall. The only light I see are the candles that are lit around.

“Dragon classifications,” I read. “Strike class. Fear class. Mystery class.” I flip the page. “Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. Why would anyone want to go down into the depths anyway?” I shake my head as I continue reading. “When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.” I look over to a violent drawing of decapitated Vikings.

I flip a few pages to see a, “Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees... extremely dangerous, kill on sight.” I watch as the drawings seem to come to life in the candlelight.

More page turns. “Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight. Are there any dragons that don’t say _extremely dangerous_?” The storm rages outside, startling me. I glance nervously behind me, the thundering spooking me more than it should.

I go back to the book. “Changewing. Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight. What, this one isn’t extremely dangerous?” I start flipping the pages quicker. “Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Bone Knapper. Whispering Death.” Nothing I need here.

“Burns its victims, buries its victims, chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside out?” I think I just gagged. “Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous. Kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight...” I flip to the last page in the book and it's the one I am looking for.

“Night Fury...” It's blank. I guess no one has the guts to go up to a Night Fury. That is, except for me. I see nothing on here but just a few details and it isn’t much. “Speed: unknown. Size: unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance: hide and pray it does not find you.” I pull out my journal and flip to the first drawing I had made of Toothless.

* * *

“Today is all about ATTACK!” Gobber instructs as we run in the maze, trying to stay away from the Nadder.

“Why can't.... you just... hold still?!” The Nadder squawks at us. She, I believe it's a she, shoots spikes at Fishlegs. I hear him scream and spikes hitting his shield.

“I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!” he calls.

“Aren't we all, Fishlegs?” I ask as I roll behind the Nadder.

“Every dragon has a blind spot,” Gobber tells us. “Find it, hide in it, and strike!” I stop running and hide behind a wall as I watch the twins stop in front of the dragon. _Oh this won't end well,_ I think as I watch Ruffnut inhale deeply.

“Ugh,” she groans. “Do you ever bathe?” They move to keep in the blind spot.

“Well, if you don’t like it then get your own blind spot!” Tuffnut says angrily as he shoves his sister back.

Ruffnut jams her helmet horn into his. “How 'bout I give you one!” They shove each other before the Nadder squawks at them. She then fires at the twins causing them to run away.

“Blind spot, yes,” I hear Gobber say. “Deaf spot, not so much.” He chuckles. I stop my running and stand right in front of Gobber. “Get in there Hali!” I jump and back up.

“Hali,” I hear Ashter hiss at me. “Get down.” Snotlout nods her head and I do as he said. He pokes his head around and snaps it back. The Nadder is right there. I watch as Ashter and Snotlout roll silently past the Nadder. I try to do the same, but the shield weighs me down, causing me to slump on the ground.

The Nadder, as expected, hears me and runs towards me. She shoots spikes at me. I dash towards where I was before and slam my back against the wall. _Too much,_ I think as I watch the Nadder chase everyone. _Way too much. What did my dad think would come out of this?_ I see Ashter jumping from wall to wall as he's being chased by the dragon.

“HALI!” Ashter calls as he jumps off the last falling wall. That's the last thing I see before I am on the ground with Ashter keeping my head down.

“Thank you for that lovely take-down,” I mutter as he gets his axe out of my shield, and very forcibly at that. He shoves me onto my back and hits my chest, hard. _Okay, that's crossing the line._ I shove him off of me. I hear him hit the dragon with the shielded axe. I run my hand over my chin which was scuffed from the hard ground.

“Is this some kind of joke to you?” Ashter asks me as I tentatively stand up, my arms crossed over my chest. “Our parents' war is abou-” He finally notices my stance. “Oh gods...”

I glare angrily at him before I dash out of the arena and head to the forge. First I'll make a saddle for Toothless. Then I'll go see him. He knows how to cheer me up.


	11. Getting Closer

**Getting Closer**

I am about to start on the saddle but I jump when I hear Gobber call me. I hear the door slam closed and Gobber's prosthetic making dull clunks on the floor. I hope he isn’t here to talk about what happened. That happened a few minutes ago and I really don’t feel like it. But he's my mentor, and my closest friend besides Toothless, so if he asks questions, I’ll give him answers.

“I'm back here!” I call back as I pull out the materials for the saddle. I take out my journal that had the saddle designs. He comes in my workspace, concern in his eyes.

“You alright, lass?” he asks me. Oh great. He does mean about what happened.

I shrug. “I guess. I mean, no blood, no foul, right?” I try to get working on my project, but Gobber stops me.

“Come on, lass. I know you and you look troubled.” He lifts his prosthetic arm off my hands. “You know you can tell me, right?” Come to think of it, I guess I have been more troubled than I thought.

“Yeah, I guess. It's just...” I flop down in my seat as Gobber sits across from me. I glance around to make sure that the shutters and doors are closed. I drop my voice down to a whisper. “It's this whole princess thing and the ending the war. I don’t know if I can do this. I mean look at me! I'm as thin as I fish bone and I can't even use my axe and-”

Gobber places his hand (and prosthetic hand) on my shoulders. “Hali, even though you don’t see yourself as strong on the outside, you are one of the bravest, strongest and smartest warriors I know. You may not notice that you do this, but I’ve seen you make and test weapons. You're stronger than you think you are.”

“But Merciless...” I say.

“You do realize that you aren’t doing it alone, right?” Gobber asks, his hand(s) leaving my shoulders. I nod. “You and Toothless both are strong and stubborn at that. You didn’t just take on stubbornness from your father. You have the heart of a warrior. You got that from both your father _and_ mother.” I smile at him from the mention of my mother. “And you've got her smile.”

I chuckle. “Thanks Gobber.” I get out of my chair and hug him, surprising him slightly. He pats me on the back.

“Come on,” he tells me as I get off him. “We need to go back to the arena. Apparently Ashter wanted to try two lessons in one day. As if that would end well.” He walks out of my workshop and I smile after him. Maybe after this training lesson I can go see Toothless. I race after him, leaving my project ready to be finished after the lesson.

“Today is about teamwork,” Gobber says from the edge of the arena. “The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head _breathes_ gas and the other head _lights_ it. Your job is to figure out which is which.”

We had each been given water buckets and were told to team up. I went with Fishlegs, (I could've sworn I saw anger in Ashter's eyes when I paired up with Fishlegs) Tuffnut went with Snotlout and Ashter went with Ruffnut. We were facing the Hideous Zippleback and I had remembered a little thing my mother told me.

“ _Dragons have fears as well, hon,” she had said to me._

“ _What would they have to fear?” I asked. There was no way dragons could be afraid of anything._

“ _They are afraid of eels believe it or not.” At my confused expression, she added, “I'm serious sweetie. They are afraid of them. Remember that. You may need it someday.”_

And boy was she right. I brought an eel with me and hid it under my vest. No one will ever know. Fishlegs and I stand back to back as we look around, waiting for the Zippleback to show itself.

“If that dragon shows either of its faces,” Snotlout says, showing off her big ego again. “I'm gonna... THERE!” I hear water splash and Ruffnut's protests.

“It's us, idiots,” she says.

“Your butts are getting bigger,” Tuffnut sneers. “We thought you were a dragon.” Tuffnut laughs.

“Not that there's anything wrong with a dragonesque figure-” Snotlout says, looking at Ashter. For that, she earns a punch from Ashter. Ruffnut throws her water bucket at Tuffnut, knocking him over. Tuffnut sits up, but is dragged into the smoke, his helmet left behind. I watch as Ruffnut starts to move forward as Ashter stops her.

“Wait...” he whispers as he looks around. As he starts to pick up his helmet, Tuffnut sprints out of the smoke, knocking Ashter and Ruffnut over.

“OH I'm hurt!” Tuffnut shouts. “I am very much hurt!”

“Horrible grammar,” I mutter. The other four teens walk, Tuffnut limping, out of the way, leaving me and Fishlegs to be the only ones in the arena.

“Our chances of surviving are dwindling. DWINDLING I TELL YOU!” Fishlegs tells me loudly.

“Would you calm down?” I ask, splashing a little water on his face. “We are going to be _fine_.” This seems to calm him down a bit. I go back to facing the smoke, hoping to catch at least a small glimpse of the Zippleback. But then I hear whispering.

“Come on out, little humans...” a voice says from the mist, but it isn’t a human. “We know you're here.” It's gotta be the Zippleback.

“You nitwit!” The other head (I'm guessing) hisses. “The barbarian humans can't understand us! They can't even tell a dragon from themselves.” I feel my back burning.

_Why is it doing that?_ I wonder silently.  _It hasn’t done that in a while._ I watch as a small bit of green emerges from the smoke. Then two yellow eyes and after that, a full Zippleback with the two heads and everything. One head zips its way over to Fishlegs. I move out of the way to avoid being hit. Fishlegs starts to panic as he tries to maneuver away from the head. Guessing that it's the one that sparks, he throws his water onto the head. Unfortunately it's the one that breathes the gas, showing that by leaking it out of its mouth.

_Move so you don't get eaten alive,_ My 'instinct' tells me.  _I'd do it now before that gas hinders you into unconsciousness..._

_I wish it would hinder you into hiding,_ I 'tell' it back as I focus on the dragon.

“Oops, wrong head...” Fishlegs mutters sheepishly. The head breathes a forceful stream of smoke, making Fishlegs scream. He drops the bucket and runs towards the exit.

“FISHLEGS!” Gobber and I shout. I turn around as the two heads show themselves. I accidentally breathe a bit of gas in. My mind fogs as my back starts to burn again. I watch one head shoot a couple of sparks in my direction.

“Now, Hali!” Gobber tells me. I lift the bucket and throw the water. Sadly, it doesn't go but a mere foot above my head.

“You have got to be kidding me...” I mumble. The Zippleback homes in on me which causes me to fall back. I start to scoot back. _Think, come on!_

“Hali!” Gobber calls. _No way, Gobber! I can handle this._ I remember the eel I have in my vest and I still have the smell on my hands. I am probably doing the most stupidest thing I could possibly do. I stand up, my hands in front of me as I hope the dragon gets a whiff of the eel.

“EEL!” It screeches. Good, it smells it.

“Back,” I say. “Back, get back!” I start walking forward as the Zippleback makes a distance from me. “Now.. don’t make me tell you again. Yep that's right, back into your cage.” It's in its cage now. All that's left is the eel. I glance behind my shoulder to make sure no one sees what I’m doing. “Now think about what you've done...” I grab the eel, and in one swift motion, I toss the eel into the cage. The Zippleback backs up fearfully.

I push the cage doors closed, making a mental note to pick the eel up later. The doors slam closed and I turn around, wiping the eel slime off of my hands. I look up to see everyone standing in front of me, amazement written on their faces. Fishlegs drops his bucket.

“Alright, so are we done now?” I ask, hoping to get out of this situation. “'Cause I have some things I need to.. uh... yeah. Um, see you tomorrow!” I dash out of the arena with some hopes of getting that saddle done.

**{Time Break} 2 hours later...**

I wrap my hands with gauze because I had burnt my hand when I was heating up the metal. I had scraped it after I burnt it and it was bleeding horribly. But thankfully it's not too bad. I rub some of the cream I use on my hand to keep it from getting infected. I look down at the finished saddle. All I had to do was get it on Toothless. That was not going to be easy...

**{15 minutes later}**

I cautiously climb down the Cove walls with a basket of fish and the saddle with me. I jump down the last rock, landing soundly on the grass. I place the basket and saddle on the ground. I sat as my breathing and heartbeat return to normal.

It was hard getting here, more so than usual. I had to avoid wolf traps and wolves themselves. Apparently my hand wasn't completely scabbed over so some wild animals had traced my blood. It made me fear for my life when they started chasing me. Luckily, they can't get through as many places as I could.

I look around the Cove. I see no sign of Toothless in the open. I shrugged as I looked to my side. I jump back when I see a pair of glowing green eyes staring at me. Thankfully I recognize the eyes to be Toothless's as he steps in front of me.

“Hey, bud,” I laugh as I put my hand on his snout. The hand wrapped in gauze. He sniffs it curiously before he retracts.

“Why does your hand smell like blood and... something strange?” he asks me. “And why is there stuff on it?”

“Oh, I just burnt and scraped my hand,” I tell him, letting my hands go behind me for support. “No big deal, right?” His mouth hangs open.

“ _No big deal..._ It could have gotten infected!” He walks forward, practically standing on top of me. I'm not sure if this should be awkward for me.

“Calm down bud. I put some cream on it to keep it from getting infected. Trust me. It won't be a problem.” He looks at my hand warily. I chuckle. “Come on. I've got food for you.” He perks up, my hand being instantly forgotten, at least I hope so.

I stand up and take the basket of fish. I unlatch it and dump its contents on the ground. I watch as Toothless's eyes light up. He shoves his head into the pile but takes it out quickly. “EEL!” he screeches.

“What?!” I exclaim. There shouldn't have been an eel in there. I quickly take the yellow and black fish out of the pile. Toothless rears back, his wings expanding behind him and his pupils turning to slits. My mom wasn’t kidding when she said that dragons were afraid of eels. I toss the eel a good distance away from Toothless.

“Sorry, bud,” I say as I wipe my hands off on my tunic. “I didn't know that was in there.” Toothless calms down as he folds his wings to his sides and his pupils dilate. He goes back to eating. “Once you're done, I've got something for you.” At that, Toothless gobbles down the pile of fish and looks at me expectantly.

I watch as Toothless wags his tail behind him excitedly. I laugh a little at his expression. He starts nudging me which causes me to start laughing a little more. Toothless knocks me onto my back. He stands over me, a playful smirk on his face. Okay, should I be feeling awkward or should I get the feeling he's rough-housing with me.

“What are you doing?” I ask. Instead of answering, he puts his front paws on my arms and his back legs against mine.

“I've pinned you in less than three seconds,” he says as he bends down. “Bet you can't beat me.”

“I don’t think I can. One, because you are keeping me on the ground. And two, you are way heavier than I am. Besides, don’t you want to know what I’ve got for you?” Toothless nods. He gently steps off of me and waits for me to sit up. I shake my arms out to make sure they haven't fallen asleep. My back shoots a random spark through my body. Why is it doing that? I thought it stopped that. I'll just talk to Toothless about it later.

I pick the saddle up from the ground and hold it up to Toothless. He crouches, almost like a battle position. But his eyes show no hostility. His tail is wagging behind him so I guess that means he's happy. So if he isn’t going to attack, he's going to play.

“Catch me if you can!” Toothless calls as he dashes away.

“Hey!” I shout. I hold the saddle over my head and dash after him. He looks back at me, shoots me a toothless smile (which makes my heart beat a bit faster) and dashes the other way, nearly knocking me off balance. His tail balances me out and then he runs, chuckling as he does so.

He turns in a circle and runs straight towards me. I yelp and crouch down, using the saddle as a shield. I hear a _whoosh_ over my head. I look up and over to see Toothless crouching on the other side of me, panting a bit. I crouch as well, panting myself. I face him with the saddle in one arm and the other keeping me balanced.

We stay stone still, the only real sounds in the area are our heavy breathing and the birds chirping. My back burns slightly more than it had before. I give myself a small jerk, and before I knew it, Toothless is running around me. Unfortunately, his tail sweeps under my feet, knocking me to the ground.

“Why do I keep hitting the ground?” I groan as the saddle falls to my side. The burning starts to intensify. I ignore it and roll onto my stomach.

“Aah! Hali, are you okay? I'm so sorry!” Toothless panics as he runs to my side. He lies down beside me and starts nudging me. I put my hand on his head, rubbing it reassuringly.

“I'm alright,” I say. “A little shocked, but I'm alright.” I push myself onto my knees and grab the saddle from the ground. “Can I put this on you now?”

Toothless nods. I stand and start attaching the saddle to him. Strangely though, he's silent through the whole thing. “You alright, bud?” I ask. He jumps slightly at my voice. “Are you alright with the saddle?”

“Yeah I'm alright with the saddle,” he tells me. He sounds nervous, like he's afraid something will go wrong. He looks at me worriedly.

“Don't worry, Toothless,” I say as I buckle one of the straps together. “Nothing bad is going to happen.” I finish buckling the last of the straps and I step back, taking a look at the saddle. “Is it too tight? Move around a little, make sure it works right.” Toothless does as I asked and the saddle looks like it's in the right position.

“It doesn't make it hard to breathe, does it?” I ask, considering on of the few straps are around his lower neck.

“No, I can breathe just fine.” He shakes out his wings and glances at the prosthetic tail fin.

“Okay, you ready to start?” I grab the saddle, pull myself up, and take the rope that is attached to the tail fin. Toothless gives me a nod and I get a firm grip on the rope. “On the count of three, take off. One, two, thr- WHOA!” Toothless takes off into the air. I pull the tail fin into a gliding position.

But I pulled the rope too hard and both of us went flying in different directions. Toothless went towards the ground and I went towards the pond. I dove head-first into the water. As always, with a head-first dive, you go downwards very fast. Which brings me to my next problem of not being able to swim.

I've seen some of the other teenagers do it. They reach out with their arms and pull them back to their side while they kick their legs. Shouldn't be to hard. _Okay, reach out... pull back. Don’t forget to kick!_ I run these thoughts through my head and miraculously, I reach the surface. My head breaks through and I take a quick gasp of air before I go back under and swim, fairly slowly, towards the shore.

“Hali!” I hear Toothless call. But his voice is halfway muted because of the water. I take my head out of the water and see Toothless looking at the other side of the pond, probably looking for me.

“I'm over here,” I call as I pull myself out of the water. I sit on the shore and wring my hair out. He looks over to me, a panicked expression replaced with relief, and he bounds over to me.

“Are you okay?” he asks, nuzzling me. He obviously remembers that I can't - _couldn't -_ swim well.

“Yeah I'm fine,” I tell him. He still looks at me worriedly. “Oh c'mere.” I hug him around the neck. He wraps one wing around me and rubs his head against mine. He pulls back slightly, just enough to look me in the eye.

“You better not scare me like that again.” He licks the back of my neck. “Or else I will pin you when you least expect it.” I laugh.

“I won't try to,” I say. “Now come on, I want to try flying again.” Toothless looks at me like I'm crazy but he agrees anyway.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**You Name This Chapter**

I was covered in bruises and scratches by the end of the day. We had flown into rocks, into the water, trees, even a cave. All of those had created the marks on my body and arms. My legs, thank the gods, were not as bad as the rest of me. I had cleaned up at the cove and pretty much all of my scratches were hardly noticeable. I walked to the forge, the tail fin and saddle secretly out of sight. Thankfully, there were hardly any villagers outside.

The earlier experiences told me that I needed something to keep me on the saddle. A harness would do nicely. I just needed to figure out how to make one. Maybe I just needed a few leather straps, a buckle and some metal hooks to keep them together because I was so tired of sewing.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice when I bumped into the one person I was frustrated at: Ashter. Our heads bonked against each other and we both fell to the ground. The tail fin flew out of my hands and luckily in to Gobber. Where did all these people come from? Oh, you know what... I don’t wanna know. I started seeing stars for a brief moment. I rubbed the bruised spot on my head and Ashter did the same. I heard Gobber laughing quietly. I scowled at him.

“You seem to get into the most awkward situations, lassie,” he told me. I rolled my eyes as he walked away, carrying the prosthetic tail fin and the saddle with him. I looked up and locked eyes with Ashter. He blushed violently and dashed away. I stared after him, confused. That was not usual for him.

_Alrighty then... I'm just gonna go work on the saddle now,_ I thought as I watched Ashter dash inside his house. I stood up and brushed all the dirt off of my tunic. Then I turned on my heel and made my way to the forge where Gobber was talking to the other teens. Oh brilliant. I watched as Tuffnut handed his weapon to Gobber. So did Ruffnut and Fishlegs. I guessed I was fixing weapons tonight.

I started walking to him, dread filling within me. I was so hoping I could just start working on the harness but I may just have to help the others with their weapons which are undoubtedly damaged. I watched as Gobber lugged the tools into the forge.

“Need some help, Gobber?” I called, making him jump. He dumped the weapons onto the counter. He scowled as I walked into the forge. I threw my vest off and tied my apron on.

“Yeah, can you fix up their tools?” he asked me, handing me Fishleg's hammer. It was chipped on the grip and the top was singed and rusted and looked to be slightly bitten off, most likely by a dragon. You don’t know these Vikings like I do. There is a slight chance someone may have bitten his hammer. No matter if it's metal or wood.

“Alright... no problem,” I said as I further examine the hammer in the fire lighting. The head of the hammer seemed to be knocked off its original position as it looked horribly balanced. Then the handle looked terribly rough and not only hard to keep a grip, but also very rough and scratchy like someone had taken a dragon's paw with claws unsheathed to it.

“Maybe I can replace this one with a hammer from my back-up pile,” I muttered as I walked to the side of the forge. “Just balance another one up, make sure it suits him and that should work.” I threw the hammer in the scraps pile because it was far out of use for him, ignoring Fishlegs's protests. Then I went to the pile where I kept back-up weapons and pulled out a hammer similar to Fishleg's.

The metal, though, wasn't exactly suited for the hammer so I had to take the head off and heat it up. But before I did that I needed to get the fire going which took about five minutes. I voiced those thoughts to Fishlegs as I pumped the heat up.

“Any other weapons?” I asked, turning to them. Ruffnut nodded.

“Us,” she said, holding up two swords which I guessed were their main weapons. I took the swords from her and put them on the table. The swords were horribly banged up. The blades had obvious scratches and kinks and it looked almost impossible to use in a fight. It was also flat out blunt. On the hilt, their names were inscribed in the wood with I'm guessing their own handwriting. I decided to experiment. I grabbed the handle of Ruffnut's sword and held it like I'm about to strike.

I took a small step back to make a good distance between the teens and myself. Then I lunged forward and stabbed the sword into the wall, causing the others to jump.

“Hali!” Gobber shouted.

“What?” I yelled back as I took the sword out of the wall.

“Give my students heart attacks why don't ya.” He came up next to me just to thwack me on the head. I glared as he went back to doing... whatever he was doing.

I turned back to the gash I made in the wall. It went no farther than a few centimeters. I examined the blade. Then I turned to the twins. “What do you use these swords for?”

“We just use them to hit each other,” Tuffnut stated. I rolled my eyes and tossed the sword on the counter. Figures.

“Once I'm done with Fishlegs's hammer, then I'll work on your swords,” I said. “Anything else?” No one stepped up so I started to work on the hammer. I was very much aware of the others staring at me, but no one made a sound.

“Hali, what was that you did in training earlier?” Tuffnut asked. I almost dropped the hammer head in surprise.

“Um.. it wasn't really anything,” I said as I tried to work on the hammer. “Just a little trick my mom told me about.” My back burned slightly but stopped when I gave myself a small jerk. The birthmark burning thing was really starting to get annoying.

No one pushed the matter. I was surprised to see that even Snotlout had a little respect, almost sympathy, in her eyes.

“Hali... um... 'bout what I said before at Black Heart Bay,” Snotlout stammered. “I – I'm sorry, alright? I was just trying to joke around, but I guess I got a little carried away.” I stared at her in shock, as did the rest of us. Never in my life had I expected Snotlout to apologize, let alone in front of her friends.

I sighed. Snotlout hardly ever apologized and when she did, she meant it. “Don't worry about it.” I took the hammer off the fire and dipped it in the water barrel. “No blood, no foul, right?” A couple of them laughed slightly. Even Snotlout looked like she was trying not to smile. Maybe she and I were getting on friendly terms. “And I'm sorry for flipping you off.”

I took the hammer out of the barrel and placed it on the counter. “Hey Gobber!” I called.

“Yeah?” he asked and I heard a thump.

The teens looked a bit frightened. “Don't worry,” I told them. “I betcha he's testing out the daggers.” I then looked back to where Gobber was. “When is Johann getting here? He told me next time he visited he would bring me that extra strong metal.”

“Patience, my young apprentice,” Gobber said in a fake, old-man, wise-ish voice. I heard him cough for a moment and stifled a laugh. Every time he did that accent he would always end up hacking. Yet he did it anyway.

Gobber cleared his throat. “Johann will be here next month if I remember correctly. What exactly are you trading with him?”

“Just some things I found in the woods,” I said, disassembling the two swords. I took another look at the hilts and blades and tossed them into the scraps pile. I then went over to where we kept the metal and wood. I looked around until I found a couple of blades that I had made a while back and attached to them were hilts, mahogany wood.

“Perfect,” I mumbled as I walked back to the counter. I took my dagger from my belt and started carving the twins' names into the hilts. I put my dagger back in its sheath and grabbed the swords. I then gave them to the twins. “Try not to kill each other, alright?”

The two gave each other evil looks which almost worried me. I shook it off. I knew they would never go to the extreme of killing each other. I grabbed the hammer off the counter. I looked to where I tested out hammers. I readied myself and swung the hammer. It made a dent.

“Hah!” I laughed triumphantly. I turned and handed it to Fishlegs. He took it and looked amazed. “I believe it is balanced enough. Now go away! I have things to do.” I shoved them out of the forge. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. I was finally relaxed, until a dagger landed a few inches above my head.

I looked up at the dagger for a moment and paused. “Aah!” I screamed.

“Oops,” Gobber said. I looked away from the dagger and he was standing right in front of me. “Sorry Hali.” I grumbled unintelligibly as he took the dagger out of the wall.

“Meh,” I muttered. I stood up, my back again burned, and I jerked my back – again. “Look, I need help making a harness.” At Gobber's quizzical look, I added, “I need it to stay on the saddle without falling to my doom.”

Gobber paused. “Alright.” With that, we started on the harness which did not take as long as I thought. We were done in a matter of minutes. Gobber had allowed me to add my favorite locket to keep the harness together. After that I said goodbye to Gobber and went to my house where I crashed on my bed and fell asleep instantly.

As much as I'd like to say I slept peacefully throughout the night, I can't because I didn't. I was used to my dreams being bizarre, but this one was ridiculous. I was standing on a wooden boat that was docked at a large mountain. Toothless had wooden clamps around his body and the base of his head. Chains were attached to the clamps which kept Toothless to a wooden platform he was standing on. He also was muzzled which kept him from firing – or talking.

The boat was on fire and the heat was intensifying. I was wearing the harness I made and the sounds of war raged on behind me. The sounds were hard to identify because of the anger coursing through me. Whoever did this to my dragon would pay. He looked up at me.

“Hold on buddy,” I told him. I grabbed the restraint and put my foot on the platform. I pulled the restraint off quickly. Then I grabbed a spear and was ready to cut the chains.

Toothless shook his head as soon as the restraint was off. “Hali get out of here!” he said with a hint of panic in his voice.

I stared at him. “What?” I set the spear down and put my hands on both sides of his head. I stared him right in the eye. “Toothless, I am _not_ leaving you. I'm getting you out of here.”

“You'll be killed!”

“You have more of a chance of being killed while you're trapped like this!” I countered. I gestured to the chains holding him to the wood.

“I...” he sighed. “Just promise me something.” I nodded, waiting for him to continue. He leaned as forward as he could until he was almost nose-to-nose with me. “Don't you die on me.”

I smiled softly at him. “I won't.” I kissed the top of his head and I grabbed the spear, ready to undo the chains.

“And Hali...” Toothless said. I looked at him. “I love you.” My heart nearly did a back-flip.

My smile grew. “I love you too, Toothless.” I leaned over and kissed his muzzle. Then I started poking the spear at the base of the chains. I gave them a few stabs before they started giving away. I smirked, ready to stab at the chains a little more until something crashed into the boat. Something large and heavy. The force of it made the boat collapse and Toothless and I fell into the water, Toothless still chained.

“NO!” I screamed. I shot up in bed, panting heavily. There was no longer a blanket on me seeing as it was on the floor. I must have kicked it off. I just sat there, my mind and heart racing at a million miles per hour. That dream, it seemed so real. It couldn’t have been. Sure my dreams were weird but they weren’t visions.

However, I had to ask Toothless. I wanted to know what he thought. Maybe I was just paranoid but there was no harm in asking. He would know if something weird was happening to me. So I jumped out of bed and looked out the window. There was no sign of anyone outside. Good. I jumped out the window, which was probably a stupid thing to do, and landed on my feet with a slight shock going through them.

I ignored it and dashed to the woods, avoiding getting scratched by branches, tripping over loose roots, or getting hurt in general. It took me forever to get to the Cove though. I stopped at the top and looked for Toothless. I scanned the area until I saw him asleep by the little pond. He looked so peaceful and harmless yet he was so powerful and strong. It always made me wonder how cute he was and how fierce and protective he was.

But despite of him sleeping peacefully I had to wake him up. I needed to ask him for help. “Toothless!” I called. I climbed down the rocks and walked over to him. Apparently I needed my eyesight checked. He was not sleeping peacefully, but instead he was churning and growling in his sleep. He looked agitated and if not, fearful.

“Toothless!” I called a bit louder. He didn’t wake up but he actually starting moving more, his movements becoming almost panicked.

I couldn’t take it. I grasped his forearm and his eyes shot open. His movements were quick, like he was ready to kill something. I grunted as he pinned me to the ground, probably not even noticing he tackled anything. He looked around, this scared look in his eyes. The pressure started to increase as he calmed down a little, but he seemed nervous. Finally I felt like I couldn’t feel my arms anymore.

“Toothless...” I said softly. His ears flattened and he looked down. His pupils dilated as he realized what was happening.

“Hali?” he asked, as if he wasn’t sure if I was really there.

“Yeah, it's me,” I told him gently. He moved his arms off of mine. He was shaken up, a little more than I was. He sat down and watched me intently. “You alright?” I sat down next to him.

“No, not really,” he responded. He looked up at me. “I thought I lost you.”

“What? Why would you lose me?” I stroked his head comfortingly.

“I guess I had a nightmare.” He dropped his head onto his paws. I nudged him, encouraging him to tell me. “I was chained to this ship and you were trying to get me out and then a huge thing hit the ship and you were drowning and...” His voice trailed off. I was speechless. My dream was similar to his.

“Toothless... I had a dream that was like yours.” I told him as much as I could about my dream. He looked at me.

“That's gotta be a coincidence,” he said which I took as he didn’t know why we had similar dreams. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to Risandera about it when she gets back. Maybe she'll have answers about it.”

I watched as he transformed into a human with the clothes this time but without a flash. I looked at him with curiosity.

“Why did you change into human form?” I asked him. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled me close to him.

“Because I can't do this as a dragon without crushing you,” he explained. I’ll admit, it was nice to be held like this. I relaxed and leaned back into him. We stayed like that just for a little while. I thought about what Toothless told me.

“ _I thought I lost you,”_ he had said. We both thought we lost each other. But what could these dreams mean? No way they would come true. Dreams were dreams. Although that were true, I could feel Toothless shaking behind me. I turned around in his grip until I was facing him.

“You aren’t going to lose me, you know,” I told him, my hands on his arms. “I'm strong.” I tried to say it in a convincing tone but even I couldn’t believe it much.

Toothless smiled at me. “Yeah, I know. But you can't blame me for worrying.” Then his expression turned nervous. He leaned towards me.

“Toothless...” I said as I stared into his eyes and he had a soft look that made me blush. He stopped, his face only centimeters from mine. His hands went up to my cheeks and he glanced at my lips and back into my eyes.

_Oh gods,_ I thought as realization trickled into my mind. I had to bite back a smile when I knew what was going to happen. My heart started beating at a million miles per hour.

He only said three words, “You are mine,” and he closed the distance, placing his lips on top of mine. My pulse raced and my eyes closed. Time seemed to slow down for me. It seemed like there was nothing else going on in the world. For once I felt like there were no burdens or troubles, I just knew that I was with Toothless.

But of course I knew I couldn’t just sit there like a dead fish. So I kissed back and put my arms around his neck. This kind of tingle spread through me. It felt... unreal.

Then he pulled back, his hands still on my cheeks. I smiled at him and hugged him tightly. The burning on my back started again, but I ignored it. I just had my first kiss with the one I truly loved.

** That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I wanted to have Toothless be able to turn into a human. I hope you enjoyed this extra long and fluffy chapter! Please fave, follow, and review! Thank you all! I bid thee a good day. **

 


	13. Almost Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Toothless' POV. This chapter came to me while I was in school when I realized I missed the whole “drawing thing.” These events are all over the place. *sigh* So here it is. Enjoy! ;) Sorry for not updating earlier.

**Almost Caught**

**The Next Day**

I was still smiling from last night even though I had no idea what I did or why I did it. But it was still the best feeling in the world. I would have to ask her or Risandera about it later. I stretched my wings out and looked around the cove. Hali wasn’t back yet so I guessed she was still asleep. My thoughts were proven wrong when I saw her walk into the cove, the saddle and tail fin with her. She was also wearing something around her and carrying a basket of fish. Her hair was tied back but she let some of her bangs into her face.

“Toothless!” she called, setting the tail fin and saddle down, as well as her journal. “Where are you?”

“Over here!” I called back. I bounded over to her and her smile widened.

“Hey there, Toothless.” She stroked my head lightly. I nuzzled her and noticed a strange scent on her. A scent that wasn’t hers. I started sniffing her as I tried to place the scent.

“What?” she asked.

“You smell different.” I looked her in the eye, waiting for her explanation.

She seemed to be thinking hard until she snapped her fingers. “Ashter,” she said. I growled lowly at the mention of the male's name. Alright, I'll admit it. I was a bit upset and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe I did know a little bit at the time.

“He hasn’t bothered you has he?” I asked.

“No, not really,” she said, sitting down. “It's just... he hasn’t really left me alone either.”

“You aren’t hurt, are you?” I sat down beside her.

“I'm not hurt. He just keeps coming up behind me and he's become a little nosy about what I'm doing. But you've got nothing to worry about.” She smiled softly at me and I smiled back.

“Now what are you wearing?” I nudged the thing on her.

“Well, since I kept falling off the saddle, I thought I would make a harness to keep myself from falling. But before we do that I want you to eat.” She grabbed the basket of fish and dumped its contents on the ground. Then she let me eat. I gobbled down the fish and turned to where Hali was. She was sitting on a boulder, drawing in the dirt with a stick. I walked up to her and looked over her shoulder. What she was drawing surprised me.

“Are you drawing me?” I asked, making her jump. She looked behind her and sighed with relief when she saw it was me.

“Yeah, but I'm not finished.” She told me. She went back to drawing. She added in my eyes and my ears. I wanted to try drawing too. So I grabbed a dead tree, pulled it out of the ground and started drawing lines in the dirt. I wasn’t sure what I was drawing, but I knew I was impressing Hali. I moved around her, dragging the tree behind me. I also accidentally hit Hali in the back of the head with the tree.

“Sorry,” I said. I stopped drawing and threw the tree behind me. Hali looked around in amazement. She started walking forward and stepping on a line. I wanted her to avoid the lines. I voiced my thought to her and she nodded. I watched her as she walked, or rather _danced_ , through the lines, not stepping on a single one of them. Her graceful form weaved through the little make and stopped in front of me.

She turned around, giggling. “Thanks, Toothless.” She stroked the side of my head. “That was fun.” I nuzzled her gently, causing her to giggle a bit more. “What do you say we test of the tail fin?”

“Definitely,” I said. She led me over the the things she dumped on the ground. I saw her journal open to a page with I guessed Norse runes written on it. Obviously I couldn’t read it. Hali grabbed the saddle and tail fin and started to put them on me. She tightened the straps on the saddle. Then she adjusted the tail fin but this time there was no rope attached to the tail fin. There was a rope, but it was placed to the side.

“Don’t you usually use the rope to control the fin?” I asked. She hummed, confirming it. I felt wires attach to the side of my tail and metal circles wired around the bases of my forearms.

“I felt like the rope was too hard to use,” Hali explained. “So I made a stirrup which allows me to control the tail fin from your back with my foot. This way, I wont have to worry about jerking the tail too hard. The rope is actually going to help us in testing the tail fin.” I nodded, recalling the last time she used the rope for the tail fin. At least this way would be safer.

“So what do those... things on your journal say?” I asked, nudging her journal.

She picked it up. “These say 'tail fin positions.'” She ran her finger under the runes as she read. “I always title my journal entries. It's more organized. Anyway, this is how I am going to learn how to control your tail. But we need to make sure that I do not do one thing and you do another at the same time. Make sense?” I nodded. Being _in sync_ would probably help.

“So when do we start?” I looked at the modified saddle. She must be amazingly good at building things.

Hali looked up, probably judging how much time she had before she had to leave. “Let's start now.” I watched her scan the area before locking in on a cliff with a broken tree stump. She pointed up there. “That is a good place to start.” So we headed up there, her almost slipping a couple times. Eventually we made it up.

She looked over the cliff, then at the stump. She grabbed the rope and tied it tightly around the stump. She stared at it curiously. “Why do I get the feeling that I will doing something similar to this later on?” she asked. I figured it was a rhetorical question. I shrugged anyway. She shook her head and stood up, the other end of the rope in her hand. She walked over to me, tying the other end of the rope to the saddle.

“Why?” I asked, knowing she would understand what I meant.

“I need to know how to get the tail fin positions without the fear of falling,” she explained. That explained it. She scanned the rope once more, then hopped onto the saddle, her journal in hand.

We started off slowly, just for Hali to get the hang of the stirrup. After that, she was writing down positions like crazy. I thought we were doing just fine... until the rope snapped. See, this is what happened: a large gust of wind picked up when I wasn’t ready. It was all downhill from there. Literally. We were actually falling down hill into a patch of grass.

Hali groaned and got up on all fours. She looked around; she noticed the cord attached to her harness. She tugged it in an attempt to get it loose, but to no avail. “Oh boy,” she sighed. “We need to go to the village.” I huffed and I put my head on my paws.

“Toothless, we have to.” She flipped herself onto her back. When I didn’t respond, she added, “You realize we won't get anything done while we're like this, right?”

“Oh fine,” I muttered. “When do we go?” She looked up.

“Let's go at nightfall. That way we can use your scales to your advantage.” I nodded.

THIS LINE IS ONLY FOR A TIME BREAK!

Hali lead me into the village. She looked around cautiously in case of any villagers. Then she tugged me along using the cord. We walked a few steps before she put her arm out, stopping me in my tracks. A villager with a torch, I guessed was a night patrol, walked passed us, giving a curt nod to Hali who returned it with a wave.

She looked around the house she was leaning against, then pulled me along. We went rather quickly to a building. Hali tugged me inside, giving me a good look at the place. There were weapons hanging on the walls, a fire pit, a bucket of water, and a counter top. I stuck my head inside a bucket to see if there was anything in it. Seeing as there was not a thing in the bucket, I tossed it aside and it landed with a loud rattle.

“Sorry,” I whispered. She didn’t respond as she reached for a tool bag. She pulled out a tool that looked slightly strange.

“Pliers,” she said, holding up the tool. She took the pliers and started working on the clasp that kept her attached to the saddle. She stopped abruptly, however, when a voice sounded from outside.

“Hali?” the male voice asked. “Are you in there?” Hali almost dropped the pliers.

“Ashter!” she hissed under her breath. She quickly threw on an apron, tied it around herself, and pushed the shutters open, closing them swiftly behind her.

“A.. Ashter! Hi.. hi uh.. w.. what are you doing here?” she stuttered as I listened intently. That must be the person who was messing with my Hali.

“Normally, I don't care about what people do, but you are acting weird,” Ashter said. I got a bit angry at him calling Hali weird. I tugged on the cord, hoping to tell her I wanted to leave. Hali chuckled nervously. “Well... _weirder_.” That was it. I tugged the rope and Hali lurched through the shutters and onto my back.

Hali nodded like, _yeah, let's go_. I ran out of the building and back into the woods. I took a glance behind me and Hali had managed to grab the pliers before we left. She was already working on the clasp. Just after we were in the cove, Hali was able to detach herself from the saddle.

“Well that was productive,” she said as she took the saddle off me. “I really hope that doesn’t happen again.”

“Agreed,” I said, stretching my wings out.

“Okay, I need to get back or else Ashter's gonna get a bit suspicious. I'll be back tomorrow, alright?” I nodded as she stroked my head. She laughed. “I'll see you in the morrow.” She kissed my cheek then walked out of the cove, making a mad dash for the village. I heard footsteps behind me and nearly jumped out of my scales. Risandera was standing right behind me.

I heaved a sigh of relief. “Hi Risandera.” By the smirk on her face, I could just tell she knew about Hali and I. “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. Make your quips.”

“I think I should do that later,” she said. I shook my head. Same old Risandera. “You're one step closer to finishing the prophecy.”

“And then what?” I pressed. “What happens when the prophecy is completed?”

“Then you and Hali can show that dragons and humans can work together. Unfortunately, you have to figure that part out yourself.” I sighed. This is going to be a lot more difficult than I imagined.


	14. Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it is complete! The title for this was given to me by a guest so thank you! Here we go. My sincerest apologies for the inconvenience. The updated version of this chapter will be next. So really, you can just skip over this chapter.

**Testing**

“Second time on the Deadly Nadder!” Gobber called to us. It was me, Snotlout and Ashter who were left. The twins and Fishlegs were disqualified for the chance to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. Just the thought of me having to do it made my stomach churn. Snotlout, in another attempt to have Ashter notice her, threw her hammer at the Nadder. The dragon only laughed at Snotlout's futile attempt to hurt it. Snotlout stared for a moment then ran as the Nadder shot a column of fire at her.

“Snotlout, out!” Gobber shouted. Snotlout ran out of the arena. Ashter rolled left. The Nadder made a run for me and I dropped my shield in surprise. The dragon sniffed me before stopping and turning to Ashter who had his axe ready to strike and was letting out a battle cry. I looked between the dragon and Ashter and did something crazy. I remembered a soft spot in the neck from watching the dragon fighters before.

They would bring their fists up and punch the dragon in a certain spot on the dragon's neck. But instead of punching the dragon, I simply scratched the spot in the neck. The dragon slumped down on the ground. Ashter stopped running and stared at me. I smiled sheepishly at him.

“Uh... class dismissed,” Gobber said. Ashter, along with the other teens, walked out of the arena. Gobber came into the arena and dragged the Nadder back into its pen. It purred contentedly as Gobber shut the doors to its pen.

 _Maybe that was a soft spot for the dragons,_ I thought. Gobber looked at me and gave me a 'go ahead' sign. I nodded appreciatively at him and dashed out of the arena. The saddle and harness were still in the forge so I had to grab those before anyone noticed. There were some villagers that gave me strange looks and I almost tripped over a few people.

I did manage to make it to the forge in one piece. Once I was in, I grabbed the saddle, the fin and my journal, peeked outside, and made a mad dash for the supply stock. I almost dropped my things in surprise when I got in the storage building. There were more that three times the fish inside. Gobber must've been busy. I slung a full basket on my shoulder, gathered the stuff back in my arms and ran into the woods.

The things slowed me down alright. Normally I would leave the saddle and fin with Toothless but I had to make adjustments because I wanted to do a real flight. Nervous, yes. Worried? Not one bit. I knew Toothless and I could fly successfully. I saw the Cove come into view and I picked up my pace. I could hear Toothless' excited purring grow louder as I stopped at the edge.

“Hey Toothless!” I shouted, a smile coming to my face. I clambered do the rocks and managed to put the things down before I was tackled to the ground. I grunted as my back hit the ground. As usual, Toothless started licking me happily.

“You're excited about something,” Toothless observed. He looked at the saddle and tail fin behind me. “And the things look different. Almost like you modified them.”

“Yep, I did. Glad you noticed. First, I think you may want to eat, then we'll go flying, got it?” I gestured as best I could to the basket behind me. His eyes lit up and he leaped over me and tipped the basket over. Piles of cod and salmon spilled out onto the ground. I rolled over to my stomach as I watched Toothless gobble up the fish.


	15. Now We're Getting Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finished my algebra homework that involved trigonometry (blech) and I'm ready to roll. Been playing some School of Dragons and seen some clips of the movie. Ready and refreshed. Here we go!

**Now We're Getting Somewhere**

“Second time on the Deadly Nadder!” Gobber called to us. It was me, Snotlout and Ashter who were left. The twins and Fishlegs were disqualified for the chance to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. Just the thought of me having to do it made my stomach churn. Snotlout, in another attempt to have Ashter notice her, threw her hammer at the Nadder. The dragon only laughed at Snotlout's futile attempt to hurt it. Snotlout stared for a moment then ran as the Nadder shot a column of fire at her.

“Snotlout, out!” Gobber shouted. Snotlout ran out of the arena. Ashter rolled left. The Nadder made a run for me and I dropped my shield in surprise. The dragon sniffed me before stopping and turning to Ashter who had his axe ready to strike and was letting out a battle cry. I looked between the dragon and Ashter and did something crazy. I remembered a soft spot in the neck from watching the dragon fighters before.

They would bring their fists up and punch the dragon in a certain spot on the dragon's neck. But instead of punching the dragon, I simply scratched the spot in the neck. The dragon slumped down on the ground. Ashter stopped running and stared at me. I smiled sheepishly at him.

“Uh... class dismissed,” Gobber said. Ashter, along with the other teens, walked out of the arena. Gobber came into the arena and dragged the Nadder back into its pen. It purred contentedly as Gobber shut the doors to its pen.

 _Maybe that was a soft spot for the dragons,_ I thought. Gobber looked at me and gave me a 'go ahead' sign. I nodded appreciatively at him and dashed out of the arena. The saddle and harness were still in the forge so I had to grab those before anyone noticed. There were some villagers that gave me strange looks and I almost tripped over a few people.

===Author's POV===

Gobber walked to the docks, Stoick due to arrive any second. He didn't want to tell Hali just yet that her father was coming back from the dragon hunt already. Especially not now since she has a destiny with defeating a mountain-sized dragon that could mean the end of her. Gobber shuddered at the thought. The way he would handle it would be awful but for Stoick...

An extremely battered ship pulled into the docks just as Gobber walked up. There were many beaten-up men, covered in ash, bruises and blood. _I'm sure they had fun,_ he thought dryly. They looked like their butts had been kicked. Badly.

Gobber walked through the crowed to find a glowering Stoick, the last of the men to pull themselves off the abused ship, his pride obliterated. “Where are the other ships?” a Viking asked.

“You don't want to know,” came Spitelout's bitter reply.

Stoick limped past Gobber. “Well, I trust you found the nest at least?” Gobber asked.

“Not even close,” Stoick muttered back.

“Ah. Excellent.” As they walked up the ramp, Gobber took the heavy basket from his friend's hands with his hook, sharing the burden.

“I hope you had a little more success than me.”

Gobber winced slightly which went unnoticed by the chief. “If by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then.... yes.” Stoick stopped dead in his tracks. What did Gobber mean? He couldn't possibly be implying...

A group of happy villagers rushed past them, saying things that worsened his suspicions. “Congratulations, Stoick! Everyone is so relieved!” one Viking said with a grin.

“Out with the old and in with the new, right?!” came another.

“No one will miss that old nuisance!” came the third. This didn't exactly help Stoick.

“The village is throwing a party to celebrate!” the last one said. Stoick stares ahead, stunned and overwhelmed by the insensitivity. He turned to Gobber, his features showing all too well what he was thinking.

“She's... gone?” he whispered.

Gobber shrugged as they continued walking. “Yeah... most afternoons,” he told him. “But who can blame her? I mean the life of a celebrity is very rough. She can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by her new fans.” By now, Stoick has his confusion doubled.

“Hali?”

Gobber beamed. “Who would've thought, eh? She just has this... way with the beasts.” He decided to stop there. He didn't want to tell him about the destiny.

===Hali's POV===

I did manage to make it to the forge in one piece. Once I was in, I grabbed the saddle, the fin and my journal, peeked outside, and made a mad dash for the supply stock. I almost dropped my things in surprise when I got in the storage building. There were more that three times the fish inside. Gobber must've been busy. I slung a full basket on my shoulder, gathered the stuff back in my arms and ran into the woods.

The things slowed me down alright. Normally I would leave the saddle and fin with Toothless but I had to make adjustments because I wanted to do a real flight. Nervous, yes. Worried? Not one bit. I knew Toothless and I could fly successfully. I saw the Cove come into view and I picked up my pace. I could hear Toothless' excited purring grow louder as I stopped at the edge.

“Hey Toothless!” I shouted, a smile coming to my face. I clambered do the rocks and managed to put the things down before I was tackled to the ground. I grunted as my back hit the ground. As usual, Toothless started licking me happily.

“You're excited about something,” Toothless observed. He looked at the saddle and tail fin behind me. “And the things look different. Almost like you modified them.”

“Yep, I did. Glad you noticed. First, I think you may want to eat, then we'll go flying, got it?” I gestured as best I could to the basket behind me. His eyes lit up and he leaped over me and tipped the basket over. Piles of cod and salmon spilled out onto the ground. I rolled over to my stomach as I watched Toothless gobble up the fish. He smiled at me when he was done.

“Ready to try this out?” I asked. He gave me a look and I sighed with a smile on my face. “Yes, I ate today.” He relaxed. I pushed myself off the ground and went over to the sprawled out things. I grabbed the tail and saddle first. I signaled for Toothless to come next to me. He obliged happily.

 _This better not fail on me,_ I thought. I tied the fin to the end of his tail. There were a lot of metal workings on this one so I had to take a little longer. I unraveled the metal cords and started wrapping them on the side of his tail. Then I attached the saddle to his back, connecting the cords together. I did something similar the time we tested the tail fin out but this was much more complex.

“How long did this take you?” Toothless asked me. He nudged my shoulder as I tied the saddle to him.

I tapped my chin. “Um... I have no exact idea.” I tightened the tail fin cord to the stirrup. I made sure the saddle wasn't too tight on his neck. I then brushed myself off.

Toothless looked at my handiwork. “So we're flying?” I gave him a look.

“Well, of course! And I think this is the actual test.” I smiled as I grabbed my journal. I then put my harness on, making sure all the cords were there. After that, I mounted the saddle, hooking myself to it and clipping my journal down with the tail fin positions page open. I wanted to be absolutely sure that nothing would go wrong. I was strapped onto the saddle, my journal clipped firmly.

I put my feet in the stirrups. Toothless seemed more than ready to get back up in the air considering his feet kept shifting. I chuckled lightly as I moved the tail fin into the first position. “Ready for this, love?” I asked, patting him on the side. I could see something twinkle in his eyes as he nodded.

“More than ever,” he replied, looking up at the sky.

I took a deep breath, readying myself. “Let's do this.” With a smirk, Toothless took off. 


	16. Test Drive

**Test Drive**

I tightened my grip on the saddle. The ground seemed to be miles and miles behind us now. I tried to ignore the gnawing in my stomach and focused on the rush of adrenaline. I glanced around at the billowing clouds.

“Okay, there, love,” I muttered. “We're gonna take this nice and slow.” I was more trying to convince myself than Toothless. So I may have been a little nervous. Wouldn't you if you were miles above the ocean with a tail fin that has the possibility of breaking? I checked the cheat sheet for the next position.

“Here we go, here we go. Position three, no four.” I looked at the tail fin as I pressed it to the next. It flared open which caused us to roll into an arching bank. I bent close to Toothless's neck.

 _At least it's holding up,_ I thought. I smiled as I studied Toothless's alteration to match with the tail fin.

“Everything's going to be just fine, Hali,” he said sweetly. I rubbed his neck affectionately. Then I looked down at a towering arch of stone coming up before us. The sea waves crashed against the bottom. It seemed just right for a trial on an evasive maneuver.

“It's go time. It's go time.” Taking one glimpse of the tail fin, I hovered just above the saddle, pushing the tail fin into a dive. Toothless let out a cry as we did a nose dive, quickly gaining speed. We zipped through the arch swiftly, not a single scratch tagging along.

“Trial one complete.” Toothless angled himself to let the tip of his wing brush through the waves.

I cheered in triumph. That, however, was short-lived. We smacked into one of the several sea stacks jutting out from the sea. I quickly jerked Toothless away from it. “Sorry,” I said sheepishly. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep up very well and we slammed into another sea stack. Toothless grumbled something unintelligible. “My fault.”

He swatted me with his ear plate. I sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I'm on it,” I mumbled. I put my finger on the cheat sheet. “Let's see. Position four... no three.” I shifted the tail fin and we started to soar upwards, cutting through the clouds. I swallowed hard and tightened my grip on the handles.

I started laughing. I absolutely loved this. The adrenaline pumping through me, the wind in my hair. I seriously thought nothing could go wrong. And then I jinxed myself.

The cheat sheet came loose, flying right out of the clip. “Ah!” I yelped. “The cheat sheet! Stop!” Toothless did as I said right when I grabbed the sheet. Then as we slowed to a stop, I became weightless. The ring floated out of the hooks, causing me to become detached from the saddle and suddenly free-falling. “Oh gods!”

We started spiraling downwards, Toothless yelling out frantically and unintelligibly. I forced myself to roll over. “Alright, you just gotta kinda angle yourself – No, no... other way.” Toothless began spinning around. “Okay, come back towards me. Back over-” I was cut off as Toothless's wing thwacked me. I tried again and again and thankfully Toothless managed to get close enough for me to grab the saddle hooks.

I hooked myself back on and, shifting my feet into the correct position, I pulled us both out of the dive, just shy of the treetops. We flew past the cliff full of trees and right into a dangerous course of jutting sea stacks. I took the sheet from my teeth and held it in front of me, hoping to be able to read it somehow. No such luck.

It flapped wildly in the piercing wind, making it impossible for me to read it. I glanced between it and the sea stacks. I had no time to think. I couldn't read it even if I tried and that would just lead to us getting a face full of rocks. I was set in determination now. Without a second thought, I threw the cheat sheet to the wind and acted on instinct, as if I was telepathically connected with Toothless.

He felt my determination. I saw his eyes narrow with the same willpower. We acted together, united most likely. We managed a tight series of intense split-second turns. My mind went on auto-pilot, flying in sync with my dragon. We flew out to the open water, completely unscathed.

I took a deep breath and glanced back and the sea stacks, not really believing what just happened. I beamed. That seriously just happened. I sat back and threw my arms up in cheerful victory. I cried out in excitement which was obviously shared with Toothless. He let out a happy squeal and a plasma blast, momentarily forgetting that humans weren't fireproof.

I groaned, the victory short-lived. “Aw, come on...” Then we soared right through it.

* * *

We lounged on a deserted beach, calmly snacking on the freshly caught fish. Toothless had started a fire and I was currently roasting a fish on a stick. I rested back on Toothless who was currently lying behind me. I brushed back a bit of my bangs which were now smoked and turned a darker color of brown. Toothless suddenly regurgitated a fish head and looked at me innocently. I chuckled lightly.

“No thanks,” I said politely. “I'm good.” I glanced up from my fish to see several Terrible Terrors land on the beach in front of us. They all hissed and nipped at each other as they came closer to Toothless's pile of fish. One of the smaller dragons grabbed the regurgitated fish head and dragged it away. Another tried to steal the head from the dragon. They faced off, shooting small fire blasts at each other to settle the fight. We watched, clearly amused by the small dragons' antics.

That is until Toothless spotted on of his fish standing upside-down and leaving the pile. A Terrible Terror is soon revealed from the pile, biting down on the fish. Toothless swiftly grabbed the fish with his teeth and tugged it away from the Terrible Terror. The tail came off and was in the smaller dragon's mouth while the rest of the fish was swallowed tauntingly by Toothless.

Irritated and challenged, the Terrible Terror pawed at the ground and prepared to blast at Toothless. The little dragon opened his mouth, the gas hiss began, and Toothless fired a tiny flame straight into the dragon's mouth. The gas backfired on the little dragon. It coughed up smoke and staggered away, looking dazed and slightly ill.

I laughed. “Not so fireproof on the inside, are you little fella?” Smirking at Toothless, I tossed my fish to the little dragon who took it gratefully. It gulped down the meal and approached me cautiously.

“A human feeding us?” the dragon wondered. It glanced at the other dragons. “You sure she's like the others?” Then turning back to me, it curled up against my leg. I was utterly amazed.

I tentatively put my hand on its back. “Everything we know about you guys is all wrong...” I smiled at Toothless who nudged me gently, giving me a smile back.


	17. Explanations and Semifinals

**Explanations and Semifinals**

I was in the forge, my head rested on my desk as I fiddled with my charcoal pencil. My desk was scattered with drawings full of Toothless. My mind was racing. I was doing well in the dragon class and soon it would be the semifinals: me against Ashter. I had to let Ash win... but if I did, he would hurt the dragon we were up against. If I won, I would be put in the arena with a Monstrous Nightmare which I was supposed to kill.

My back burnt again. It had been doing that for the past hour. I noted that it had left me alone for a whole two and a half weeks. Why it was doing that now was beyond me.

Footsteps sounded in the doorway and someone cleared their throat. I nearly jumped out of my skin because I knew who was standing in the doorway. I started shuffling all of my drawings out of sight. After that was done, I turned around and sat on my desk. “Dad, you're back!” I said, a slight smile on my face. “Uh, Gobber isn't here, so...”

Dad walked up to me, grabbing one of the seats. “I know,” he replied, his voice lower than usual. I hoped for dear life that I wasn't in trouble. “I came looking for you.”

“You did?” I twiddled my thumbs on the edge of my desk.

His expression remained stern. “You've been keeping secrets, Hali.” I gripped the desk, trying not to fall off.

“I... have?” Wait to be inconspicuous, Hali...

“Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?” I tried to read his expression but nothing went through my mind except for the fear of having Toothless found out.

“I don't know what you're-”

“Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it.” He propped an arm on his knee. “So let's talk about that dragon.”

The blood instantly drained from my face and fear clenched my chest. I jumped off my desk, my hands in front of me in a helpless position as I tried to explain myself. “Oh gods, Dad, I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how-” I was cut off when he started laughing. A booming laughter with absolutely no traces of anger.

I stared at him, baffled. “You aren't... upset?”

“What?!” he exclaimed. “I was hoping for this!”

“You were what now?” Somehow I got the feeling we weren't talking about the same thing.

“Oh believe me, it only gets better! Just was till you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time.” He continued saying this while he laughed. “And mount your first Gronckle hear on a spear. What a feeling!” He clapped me on the shoulder, nearly causing my knees to buckle.

“You really had me going there, hon. All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen!” He looked up. “Odin, it was rough.” His gaze went back to me. “I nearly gave up on you. And all the while, you were holding out on me. Thor almighty!” I grimaced from the irony of all this.

Dad looked completely relieved. “With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about.” I gave him a small smile, trying to ignore the growing silence. That is when he looked like he remembered something really important. “Oh... I brought you something.” He showed me a horned helmet and held it out to me. “To keep you safe in the ring.”

I tentatively take it, a genuine smile on my face. “Wow, thanks Dad.”

“Your mother would've wanted you to have it. It's half of her breast plate.” He tapped his helmet. “Matching set to keep her close.” My hand twitched at the sudden information. “Wear it proudly. You deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal.” He beamed with pride and my stomach churned. So I forced a yawn, hoping for an excuse to get out of this.

“I really should get to bed,” I said, stretching a bit. “Training tomorrow. It's me and Ashter. See who gets the honor.”

“Right, yes, okay. I'll see you back at the house. Well... uh, good night.” Dad left the room, still having pride on his face. I slumped forward, feeling more burdened than ever.

* * *

Ashter and I were in the training grounds. The arena had multiple wooden barriers put up for us to hide behind. I had the helmet on just for Dad even though I had no idea if I was going to go through with this. Ashter seemed like he was ready to kill either me or the Gronckle, not that he cared which but I'm sure he preferred the dragon gone first.

He ducked behind a barrier, the only one I happened to be behind. He forced his axe at my throat, a weird glint in his eyes. “Stay out of my way!” he growled. “I'm winning this thing.” He darted off again.

“Please, be my guest,” I muttered. The crowd started cheering him on. I stood and looked around. Amongst the crowd, Dad watches keenly, beaming. He locked eyes with me and gave a nod of encouragement. _At least he's proud of me._ I adjusted my helmet and forced a halfhearted smile.

Then, of course with my luck, the Gronckle happened to spot me. So it just had to make a beeline towards me. I turned around just in time to see it coming at me. I panicked, momentarily forgetting that I didn't want to win this. I dropped the axe and put my hands out in front of me, knowing that the scent of dragon nip was still on me. The Gronckle immediately fainted at the scent, lying at my feet with its tongue stuck out leisurely.

At that moment, Ashter popped out from one of the barriers, his axe at the ready and he was yelling loudly. He faltered at the sight of the Gronckle at my feet. “No!” he shouted. I shrugged helplessly, as unhappy with the situation as he was. “You son of a halftroll, rat eating -”

A loud clack sounded above. Gothi, the village elder, stepped forward, her staff tapping at the ground. The villagers looked at her excitedly. “Wait, wait!” Dad called out.

I gulped. “Uh... later.” I started walking off but Gobber snagged the back of my shirt, stopping me in my tracks.

“Not so fast,” he said. He didn't seem all that happy but I could see from the corner of my eye that he was putting on a smile just for the villagers, knowing that they didn't know about my “destiny.” I swallowed nervously as he set me down. He looked at me apologetically.

I watched my father as he silenced the crowd. “Okay, quiet down,” he shouted. “The elder has decided.” I turned my head slightly so I could see both Gothi and Gobber. He first pointed to Ashter who looked up hopefully but with doubt. Gothi shook her head which just displayed the inevitable. So knowingly, Gobber pointed to me. The elder nodded affirmatively. My heart dropped.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Ashter sent a glare at me that, if looks could kill, would have me dead on the spot. Gobber laughed but with little to no humor. “You've done it! You've done it, Hali! You get to kill the dragon!” I gave him a small smile, though we could see the worry in each others' eyes.

Dad laughed. “That's my girl!” he yelled proudly. The other recruits, excluding Ashter, hoisted me onto their shoulders and carried me out to the cheering spectators. I tried to cheer along with them and they bought it. At the time, it seemed like I had no other choice.

“We're leaving,” I called out as I entered the cove, a basket settled on my back. I looked around for Toothless. “Let's pack up! Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever.” I set the basket down, checking through it, my mind clouded. I groaned, thinking I should have seen this coming.

And then there was the sound of stone against metal. My head snapped up to see Ashter sitting cross-legged on the boulder my basket was leaning against. I lurched backwards, my hands behind my back and my eyes searching for any sign of Toothless. _Who is that?_ a familiar voice asked in my mind. I tried not to think about that.

“Ashter... what are you doing here?” I asked, hoping to regain my composure. He hopped off the rock, swinging his axe a bit.

“I wanna know what's going on,” he said casually. His expression suddenly turned darker than before. “No one just gets as good as you do. _Especially_ you. Start talking.” He started backing me up, completely oblivious to the fact that an angry Night Fury was hiding around here somewhere. “Are you training with someone?”

“Uh... training?” My harness was suddenly snagged by Ashter.

“It better not involve this.”

“I know this looks really bad, but you see, this is, uh..” I was cut off by something rustling on the other side of the cove. _Someone,_ I corrected myself. Ashter pushed me away and started walking towards the sound.

I continued to pathetically explain myself. “You're right, you're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits. So you got me. Its time everyone know. Drag me back, go ahead.” He cut me off by twisting my arm behind me in an arm lock. I let out a small yelp. “The heck?!”

“That is for the lies.” He shoved me away, but not missing the opportunity to slug me in the gut. “And _that_ is for everything else.”

“That's it,” a certain someone growled from the opposite side of the cove. “You are going down.”

_Thanks Ashter,_ I thought dryly. Ashter looked to where the growl had come from. And soon there is a sleek Night Fury bounding towards us, a savage glint in his eyes. Ashter stepped in front of me, pushing me towards the exit.

“Go, run!” he yelled. I looked at him, confused. Someone who looked ready to kill me is now protecting me from the one who is trying to keep me safe. Total sense... Ashter readied his axe, as if thinking he could take on Toothless.

“No!” I shouted. I moved Ashter back, ripping his axe from his grip as I did so. I slid the axe away and stood just in front of Ashter with my hands out. “No, it's okay! It's alright.” Toothless skidded on the ground, spraying Ashter with sand.

“Okay?!” Toothless growled. “How is it okay?”

“He's a friend.” I pressed my hand to his head as he snorted disagreeably. Toothless looked over my shoulder, confused and angry, at Ashter. I turned around, my hand still on his head. “You just scared him, Ashter.”

“I scared him?!” Ashter exclaimed.

“Scared is not exactly the right word,” Toothless implied. “More like infuriated.”

Ashter suddenly took in what I said. In an intense whisper, he asked, “Who is him?”

I stood taller. “Ashter, Toothless. Toothless, Ashter.” Ashter started backing away slowly, eying both Toothless and I. Then, without looking back, he turned and ran for the village. My shoulders slumped forward. “Da da da, we're dead.”

“Maybe, but I don't like him,” Toothless said, while making a satisfied roll of his shoulders. Then he turned away.

I looked back at him, slightly exasperated. “And where do you think you're going?” Toothless turned his head to look at me. His ear flaps went limp as he gave me a look that said,  _I'm not going to like this, am I?_

 


	18. The Dragon's Den

**The Dragon's Den**

Following a blond boy who can run through the forest at full speed isn't what I call the highlight of my day. But when that boy is about to spill your secret that you've kept hidden for Odin knows how long, you don't exactly have any options.

“Come on, Toothless,” I muttered. “Just a little bit faster.” I tightened my grip on the saddle.

“Why are we chasing after him?” Toothless asked, obviously not happy with the situation.

“Because if he gets to the village, all _this_ will be exposed. And I don't want to know what my father will do if he thinks I train dragons.” At this, Toothless sped up. My eyes scanned the ground until I caught a glimpse of Ashter. I pointed down. “There!” At that simple word, Toothless dove down, paws outstretched, his talons just barely unsheathed.

Just as Ashter looked up, Toothless snagged him and dragged him into the air. “Oh great Odin's ghost!” he screamed.

Toothless chuckled a bit. “Maybe this isn't so bad...” he muttered. I laughed quietly and lightly thumped his ear plate. In return to my playful attack, he flapped his wings harder to swat me in the head. Ashter's screams tuned my attention back in.

We flew Ashter to one of the taller trees and Toothless (purposefully) dropped him on one of the closer branches to the top. Toothless landed on the top, the tree bending under his weight. Ashter's screams were replaced with his heavy panting. “Hali, get me down from here!” he shouted, holding onto the branch for dear life.

“You have to give me a chance to explain!” I told him even though I knew he was too stubborn to give in on the first try.

“I'm not listening to _anything_ you have to say!”

“Okay, fine. I won't speak. Just let me show you.” I held out a hand to him. “Please Ashter.” He looked up at me, then to Toothless, down at the ground, and finally to the branch he was holding on to. Thankfully he had enough common sense to know that it was either come with me or stay on the tree. He swatted my hand away (earning a slight growl from Toothless) and pulled himself up. He climbed onto the saddle and settled down with as little contact as possible.

“Now get me down,” he said.

“Toothless? Down. Gently.” I readied my foot and gripped the saddle. Toothless raised his wings slowly and then released the tree, leaving us to hover in place. I turned around to face Ashter. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”

Unfortunately for me, Toothless had other plans in mind. _Brace yourself,_ that voice in my mind told me. Without any other warning, Toothless suddenly launched upward and my only instinct was to follow along. Toothless beat his wings with tremendous power, lifting us higher into the sky. Ashter's screams once again filled my ears.

_Well someone's got a set of lungs on 'em,_ I thought wryly. His arms went around me, squeezing the breath out of me. “Toothless!” I shouted. “What is wrong with you? Bad dragon!”

Then, to make the matter worse, he rolled and plummeted towards the ocean waves. He deliberately dove under the froth, causing us to become soaking wet. Once we came up from the waves, he skyrocketed up. Then he began to tumble head over tail. “And now the spinning,” I muttered. “Thank you for nothing you useless reptile.”

As the spinning continued, Ashter buried his face in my shoulder, not wanting to see this anymore. “Okay!” he said, drained of his aggression. “I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Just get me off of this thing.”

Toothless gave a satisfied grunt. “Now we can do things calmly,” he said. He stretched his wings out, catching the draft and leveling us out. He faced us toward the sunset, revealing the pink-orange tint in the sky. My jaw went slightly ajar and Ashter's grip finally loosened. His head lifted from my shoulder which allowed me to finally lean into the saddle.

“Really?” I asked Toothless quietly while Ashter was distracted. Toothless turned his head slightly to me to show he was listening. “You did all that just for an apology? What for?”

Toothless scoffed. “He hurt you and threatened you.” Then he shook his head. “Look, just focus on the skyline. We both know you need something to ease the tension. You can explain it to me later. Just relax.” I smiled softly and kissed his head.

I leaned back up and looked at the clouds. Toothless seemed to take control as he rose above the clouds and leveled back under the starry sky. The Northern Lights flowed around us, giving off an array of colors. The clouds parted, revealing Berk with lights flickering in the darkness, a perspective I never thought I would see. Toothless soon turned around and flew over the open water, leaving the village behind.

“All right,” Ashter said, breaking the silence. “I admit it. This is pretty cool. Amazing even. And your dragon isn't so bad either.” He hesitantly patted Toothless's side, earning the smallest of coos.

“So what now?” he continued. I groaned. It was a problem without an answer. “Hali, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're gonna have to... kill a dragon.” He added that last part in a whisper. I sighed, not knowing exactly how to approach the situation. Soon we flew into low cloud cover, shrouding us from everything else. Toothless tensed and his ear plates flattened, his sign of panic.

_Oh no,_ the voice said. I started trying to figure out who that was but before I could, Toothless suddenly dove, driving us further into the fog. Ashter's grip tightened from the sudden movement.

“Toothless!” I yelped. “What's going on? What is it?”

“Quiet!” he barked. Dragons started emerging from the fog, blocking us in.

“Didn't think we'd see you come 'round here,” the Monstrous Nightmare of Toothless's right said.

“Neither did I.” We kept flying and soon once invisible dragons, appeared in all directions, hundreds of them. I noticed they were all carrying in some kind of game.

“What's happening?” Ashter asked, leaning in close to me.

“I don't know,” I replied helplessly. I bent down, trying to make myself as small as possible. Ashter did the same. Though I tried to explain as much as I could. “It looks like they're hauling in their kill.”

A Monstrous Nightmare eyed me suspiciously. That dragon was nothing like Risandera. “What does that make us?” Ashter whispered rhetorically. I tried to ignore the way he said that. The dragons banked all in some sort of formation. They passed through the sea stacks easily. Soon we emerged at the base of a massive volcano, glowing with rivulets of lava. They flew through a crack in the volcano which gave way to an inner chamber, lit red by the lava below.

There were multiple rocky shelves, each harboring dragons of all breeds, some huddled together in hordes. The dragons flying in dropped their kill into the pit, enveloped by fog of its own. “What my dad wouldn't give to find this,” I muttered, looking around cautiously. Toothless peeled away from the formation and landed on a hidden shelf, thankfully keeping a low-profile.

_Well, it's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole,_ I thought dryly.

“They aren't eating any of it...” Ashter mumbled. I watched as the rest of the dragons flew in and I recognized one specifically as Risandera. She wasn't carrying much and she looked as if she was in a fight. There were claw marks on her and she seemed to be exhausted. She released the kill, a resigned look on her face. She turned and locked eyes with Toothless and I. For a moment, I saw alarm and then... she was apologetic.

A horrid roar sounded, bouncing off the walls and reverberating in my head. Toothless tensed up. Risandera slowly flew away, but she wasn't fast enough. A head the size of a mountain jutted out from the steaming pit. It snapped Risandera out of the air, eating her whole. My breath caught in my throat and it took all my willpower not to cry out. I put my hand on Toothless's head.

“What is that?” Ashter asked. I shook my head slightly. I honestly had no idea what was happening. The beast sniffed, seemingly aware of there being two humans here. Its head neared the ledge we were perched on. Then it roared. Multiple dragons took flight in fear.

“Alright, love, we gotta get out of here,” I said, readying my grip on the saddle. “Now!” Toothless quickly took flight, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of the beast. The beast lunged for us and instead of capturing us in its jaws, it snapped a Zippleback out of the air. Toothless blended into the chaotic dragons fleeing the cave.

* * *

We glided into the cove, Ashter rambling away, his mind reeling. “It totally makes sense,” he continued. “It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers.... and that's their queen. It's controlling them.” He jumped off the saddle and started towards the village. “Let's find your dad.”

No!” I intervened, stopping him in his tracks. “No. Not yet. They'll kill Toothless.” I climbed off the saddle and walked up to meet him. “Ashter, we have to think this through carefully.”

He eyed me disbelievingly. “Hali, we just discovered the dragons' nest... the thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?”

I stood firm, my decision never wavering. “Yes.”

He was taken aback. “Okay. Then what do we do?”

“Just give me until tomorrow. I'll figure something out.” Ashter nodded and stood there for a second before punching me in the arm.

“That's for kidnapping me,” he explained. I held my arm and glanced at Toothless who was currently drinking from the pond. Ashter moved and I braced myself for another hit. But instead of a punch, he was hugging me. He released me and stepped back. “That's for, everything else.” With that, he hurried off. I scratched my neck, feeling confused before turning back to Toothless.

Toothless looked at me. “Wanna talk?” he asked. I nodded and walked over to him. He lied down and I sat against his side, leaning my head against his neck. I could tell from the sadness in his eyes that he was grieving Risandera. But he shook his head, not wanting to talk about his dead colleague. “Why were you so talking about leaving earlier?” 

I sighed then started fiddling with my sleeve. I knew it wouldn't help his state of emotion, me talking about what happened. Though I knew he would get it out of me sooner or later. “I won in the semifinals,” I started lamely. “For this dragon training class I was put in. And the winner... gets to kill a dragon. A Monstrous Nightmare.” That last part was added no louder than a whisper.

Toothless closed his eyes and nudged his head with mine. “I don't want to,” I continued. “But I don't know what else to do. I'm certainly not going to kill a dragon.”

“I'm sure you'll figure something out,” Toothless said, trying his best to be helpful. “There's bound to be something in that brilliant head of yours that can help.” I smiled slightly at him.

“Thanks Toothless.” I scratched him behind the ears, causing him to purr. “There's also something else.” He looked attentively at me. “I keep hearing this voice in my head. It sounds familiar but I just can't put my finger on who it sounds like.”

_I'll give you a hint,_ the voice said.  _The owner of this voice is the one you are leaning against._ My head shot up and I stared Toothless right in the eyes. He was smirking at me.

“You're the one who's been in my head?” I asked incredulously. Toothless chuckled. “Well, that makes more sense. Now, how accurate was Ashter on the whole 'giant beehive' thing?”

Toothless's expression turned serious. “He was spot on, actually. That thing has been controlling dragons for Odin knows how long. But don't burden yourself with that right now. You've got other things on your shoulders. Go ahead and get some rest. You'll need it.” I gave him a small smile and kissed his cheek.

“Goodnight Toothless. I'll come back tomorrow.” I stood up, kissed his head softly, then made my way out of the cove, already bracing myself for tomorrow's events.

 


	19. The Finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So who saw How to Train Your Dragon 2? I certainly did and it was amazing! Anyways, here's a nice little cliffhanger for ya! And after this story I will definitely be releasing an HTTYD 2 story. See y'all later!

**The Finals**

I stood outside the training grounds. There were flags and banners flapping wildly in the wind. There was a massive crowd surrounding the ring. It seemed like the whole island had shown up.

My father walked up to his spot, his face beaming with pride. “Well I can show my face in public again,” he said playfully to the crowd. I tightened my lips, awaiting his speech. He chuckled, “If someone had told me that in a few short weeks, well... Hali, to placing first in dragon training... well I would've tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad!

“But here we are. And no one is more surprised or more proud than I am. Today, my girl becomes a Viking.” He raised his voice, as if that were possible. “Today she becomes one of us!”

The crowd laughed and cheered. I didn't try to put on a smile as Gobber came up to me. “You feeling okay, kid?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Gobber... you know I'm not going to kill that dragon.”

“I know. But what are you going to do?” He looked at me with more concern than I've ever seen.

I blew out a tight breath, gripping the helmet tightly. “I'm just going to have to go with the flow and see what happens.” He squeezed my shoulder lightly before going back into the ring to check on the dragon. I looked around and locked eyes with Ashter. He put on a comforting smile for me so I gave him a small smile in return.

 _Toothless?_ I thought, hoping he could hear me.

 _You ready?_ he asked.

_To be honest, I am not._

_It's okay. You'll be alright. Just imagine me right next to you._

I scoffed, but smirked. _Then I would have to imagine a billion Vikings trying to pin you down._

Even though his voice was in my head, I could just see the smile coming on his face. _Well, ignore that part. Don't worry. You will do great. I know you won't hurt the dragon but don't get hurt yourself._

 _I won't. I'll be careful._ With that, I watched as Gobber came up to me. It was time. Time for me to put my plan into action. What ever that was. I walked into the ring and put my helmet on as Gobber shut the gates behind me. I locked gazes with Dad. He gave me a nod with a smile. I tried to return it and thankfully, he bought it.

I turned to the weapons rack. Might as well make it look like I know what I'm doing. I hoisted a shield onto my arm and grabbed my weapon – a small dagger. I then turned to the heavy, bolted door behind it the Monstrous Nightmare I was about to face.

So with the strongest voice I could muster at the moment, I said the two words that would begin the test: “I'm ready.” And up the bolts went. The shadows gave off nothing to hint the dragon out. The crowd went silent and for a few moments, there was nothing but silence.

Then all of a sudden – BOOM! The door flew open with sticky fire leaking down the edge. A Monstrous Nightmare followed out shortly after, covered head-to-tail in flames. It roared furiously as it climbed the walls and hooked itself into the chains making up the 'ceiling' of the ring. The dragon blasted fire at the provoking crowd who jeered regardless of the stream of fire.

Then the dragon spotted me. The crowd fell into silence once again, bracing themselves for the fight they thought was going to happen. The dragon descended, its eyes never leaving me. Once it was on the ground, I purposefully dropped my shield and dagger and started backing up slowly. The dragon tilted its head at me, baffled by my actions.

The dragon eyed my helmet cautiously as we continued a steady, slow pace backwards. I put my hands out, showing I was unarmed. Then I carefully put my hands up to my helmet. I realized that after this, it was a point of no return. With a deep breath, I took the helmet off and showed it to the Nightmare.

Remembering what I did with Toothless and the dagger, I tossed the helmet aside, its clang echoing throughout the silenced area. _“I'm not one of them,_ ” I said in the best dragon-tongue I could. The Nightmare's anger was deflating, I could tell by the way its muscles relaxed and its pupils dilating. I held my hand out as I tried to ignore my dad's glare. The crowd's murmurs weren't loud enough to draw the dragon's attention, thankfully.

“Stop the fight,” he demanded.

“No!” I shouted. “I need all of you to see this.” The crowd started growing restless.

“What are you doing?” the dragon asked.

“ _Not killing you,”_ I replied in dragon-tongue once again. Then I went back to talking to the crowd. “They aren't what we think they are! They aren't monsters. We don't have to kill them.”

Everything was going smoothly, disregarding my father's glare and the murmurs of the crowd. The dragon wasn't attacking which was a good sign. Though I could feel the tension coming from Toothless. It was all going according to my last minute plan. That is, until my father had enough.

His hammer slammed down on the metal bars enclosing the ring as he commanded in the loudest voice possible, “I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!” Immediately all the peacefulness from the dragon in front of me disappeared, being replaced by anger and fear. It snapped at my hand. I yelped and stumbled backward.

The dragon took my sudden movements the wrong way. A stream of fire shot past me and I dove out of the way. Toothless was able to sense my abrupt fear.

 _Hali!_ he shouted, panic evident in his voice. I was about to say something to stop him from doing anything rash when I was stopped by another narrow stream of fire. Ashter cried out my name and from the sound of metal scraping against stone, he was trying to open the gates. I dashed to the weapon rack for reasons unbeknownst to me but it was soon destroyed by the claws of the dragon.

I saw, from the corner of my eyes, my father wrenching the gate open, allowing Ashter through. Dad jumped in as well. Ashter was at the demolished rack, picking up a hammer. Before I could stop him, he hurled it at the Nightmare, turning its attention to him. Then the dragon began to chase him.

“This way!” my father yelled. Ashter threw a quick glance at me and we both ran for the gates. Ashter made it through. I, on the other hand, did not. The dragon cut off my path by a stream of fire. I skid on the ground and made for the other direction. But it soon pounced on me and lowered its head to me menacingly. To top all this off, my back burned like it never had, which just added to the panic.

A shriek soon stopped it all. “ _Get off of her!_ ”

“Night Fury! Get down!” Gobber shouted, though I could hear a touch of relief and fear in his voice. A bright purple plasma blast lit up the arena and soon covered it with smoke. I just barely had time to register the fury-filled bright green eyes before the Nightmare was wrenched off of me.

The Vikings were shouting things that I couldn't quite understand from the blood pounding in my ears. There was a flurry of wings cutting through the smoke and soon Toothless was seen locked in vicious combat with the Nightmare. Toothless kicked the other dragon off, still growling menacingly. He planted himself between me and the other dragon.

“What is going on?” the Nightmare roared.

“What's going on is you just attacked my princess who is supposed to end the war!” Toothless roared back. My jaw went slightly ajar. Not only did Toothless call me a princess but he called me _his_ princess. If I wasn't under these circumstances, I would have been a lot happier.

“Look,” Toothless continued, still keeping his position. “I'm sure Hali is going to find a way to fix this but for now just GO!” The Nightmare, finally getting a grasp of this whole situation, nods its head slightly and rushes back to the cage it came from.

I quickly rose to my feet and grabbed Toothless protectively. “Okay, Toothless you've had your fun but you need to get out of here!” I told him, trying not to let panic cloud my mind. The crowd grew livid. My efforts to get Toothless out were in vain as the Vikings started pouring into the ring, their shock not turned into their own aggressive ways.

“Go, please!” I tried.

Dad grabbed an axe set against the wall and charged in. “Stoick no!” Ashter shouted.

“Dad, no! He won't hurt you!” I watched as the Vikings tried to attack Toothless but he merely just batted them away like rag dolls. He then focused on Dad. “No, you're making it worse!” My words fell on deaf ears. Dad raised the hammer as he charged at my dragon. Toothless ducked and pounced, pinning my father to the ground.

“Toothless stop!” I called, but still he didn't hear. The familiar hiss of gas built and everyone braced themselves... except for me. With a voice that wasn't like my own, I cried out, “ _NO!_ ”

That did it. Toothless swallowed the gas then turned to me, confusion in his eyes. I panted, sending out a simple sentence to him. _That's my father._ His ear plates went back and his shoulders tensed up yet he was distracted from the incoming Vikings as was I.

The world went into slow motion as it blurred around me. They rushed in, piling and taking Toothless down and off of their chief. I tried to run in but Ashter got to me first. He was saying something into my ear, though I couldn't hear him. I was pleading as if they could hear me. I was desperately telling them to not hurt Toothless, dearly hoping they would hear me.

My father commanded something that put Toothless with the rest of the dragons. Then Dad turned to me, his face burning with anger. I closed my eyes and went limp against Ashter. _Toothless... I am so sorry._


	20. Added to The Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before I start, I just want to tell you about a writer who I am beta-ing for. Loving the Strange: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3562390/ is writing a HiJack story and is getting way less than he/she deserves. His/her story is really good and I definitely recommend you read it. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

**Added to The Team**

My father dragged me into the Great Hall and slammed the doors shut behind us. I was pushed away as he began to pace, his mind clouded. The sound of the doors resonated in the deserted room and the tension grew. “I should have know,” my father grumbled. “I should have seen the signs.”

“Dad,” I tried even though my word fell on deaf ears.

“We had a deal!” he all but shouted.

I helplessly tried to explain everything through my stuttering. “I know we did. But that was before all this and it's all so messed up...”

Dad stomped over to me, anger boiling in his eyes. “So everything in the ring. It was all a trick? A lie?”

“I know. I screwed up. I should have told you before now. Just take this out on me, be mad at me but whatever you do, just please don't hurt Toothless.” I stepped forward slightly as if to try and make my statement (almost plea) clear.

This, however, seemed to just make him madder. “The dragon?!” he exclaimed. “That's what you're worried about? Not the people it almost killed?”

“He was just protecting me! He's not dangerous!”

The fury boiled. “They've killed _hundreds_ of us!”

“And we've killed _thousands_ of them!” I countered. My father seemed only slightly taken aback. “They defend themselves, that's it! They raid us because if they don't bring enough food, their lives are lost. Snatched literally out of thin air! It's this thing on their island, Dad. I don't know what it is. I just-” I immediately stopped, seeing the look of shock on Dad's face.

I had said too much. He huffed as he stepped back. “Their island?” he repeated then pointed an accusing finger at me. “So you've been to the nest.” Without waiting for a reply, he yelled, “How did you find it?!”

“I didn't. Toothless did. It's like only a dragon can find it.” I stared at my father's glaring face. And soon, after a few moments, the wheels turned in his head and an idea popped up. I suddenly realized what he wanted to do. He headed for the doorway.

“No, Dad!” I protested as I chased after him. “It isn't what you think. You don't know what you want to go up against! It's something the size of a mountain with jaws that could eat the fleet in two bites, maybe less.” I grabbed him by the arm, my attempts giving no result as he continued to walk ahead.

“Dad please! This is a battle that you can't win!” Still nothing. I groaned but tried once more. “No. Dad... For once in your life, _would you please just listen to me?!_ ” That got a reaction, but not one I was hoping for. He pushed me off of him, none to gently. I staggered back, stunned at his action.

The sudden hostility was almost suffocating. “You've thrown your lot in with them,” he growled. “You're not a Viking. You are not my daughter.” Without a second glance, he left, the door swinging behind them. I collapsed entirely, the energy leaving me in an instant while tears threatened to fall.

Now, I wasn't sure how long I'd been lying there but I wasn't sure I cared. I hardly registered someone walking carefully into the Great Hall and quietly shutting the doors behind them. “Hali...” a soft voice whispered.

I looked up. I had curled in on myself with my head buried in my arms. I blinked rapidly to just barely see Ashter kneeling in front of me, his eyes shining with worry. I whimpered as he pulled me into his arms. He rested his chin on my head, patiently rocking me back and forth while I completely broke down. He whispered comforting words in my ear, not entirely certain whether they made any difference.

He didn't tell me “it's okay” or “it'll be alright” because frankly I knew it wasn't. However, he did lift my chin up enough to have me look up at him. “They're sailing off soon,” he whispered gently. “Do you want to see Toothless before...?” I nodded weakly and that was enough for him. He slowly lifted me off the ground then put me on my feet.

I wiped away any remnant of tears on my face. Ashter gave me a comforting smile as he led me out of the Great Hall and to one of the cliff-side perches. There were multiple beaten down catapults bundled up, ready to be sailed off along with the Vikings.

Then I spotted my dragon. Toothless was chained to a palette, muzzled, and restrained with a hefty neck ring. It wasn't hard to spot the exhaustion in his eyes.

_Toothless..._ I though weakly, hoping he could hear me. Thankfully he did. He looked up at me and sadness instantly filled his eyes.  _I'll get you out of this. I promise._

_Just be careful, love,_ he responded before he was loaded aboard the ship. Dad called something out that I couldn't hear. He looked around and locked eyes with me. I wasn't sure on what I saw though I slowly shook my head in warning. He broke the stare, ignoring my last warning. He growled something to Toothless.

Ashter came up behind me and rested his hand on my shoulder as the ships set sail for Helheim's Gate once more. We just watched silently as the boats went farther and farther away until we could no longer see them. Ashter turned to me, something questioning in his gaze.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Then, opening them, I returned his stare. “I'm thinking that I can find a way to fix this.”

“And what exactly is that?”

“Something stupid and crazy...” With a smirk, I took off, Ashter following right behind me. Soon his pace was matched with mine as we ran into the village. “I need you to gather Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut and meet me in the arena. And make sure they're unarmed.”

Without questioning my ridiculous plan, he gave me a nod and ran off to gather the other teens. I headed to the arena. To set up my plan though, I needed to gain the dragons' trust. But to do that, I needed the cages open. Just as I was loosening the cage bolts on the other cages besides the Monstrous Nightmare's, I heard Toothless' voice once again.

_Hali, don't ask just listen,_ he told me and I froze in my tracks.

Gobber's voice tuned in first.  _...but some, not me, are wondering if there is in fact a plan at all, what it might be?_

Then my father's voice came in next. _Find the nest and take it._

 _How did I know he would say that,_ I wondered as Toothless cut them off. I rubbed the side of my head in frustration. This plan had to be done fast because I didn't want to know what happened if it didn't.

_Ack! Hali, I need to go. Whatever you're going to do, please be careful,_ Toothless said, ending off the conversation. I exhaled then started raising the bolts on the cage of the Monstrous Nightmare since that dragon was most familiar to me out of the four.

“If you're planning on getting eaten, I suggest going with the Gronckle,” Fishleg's voice sounded behind me along with the scuffing of footsteps. I turned to see the other recruits, watching me with crossed arms. Tuffnut stepped forward, scowling.

“You were wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon,” he said. “It's me.”

I stuttered as Snotlout pushed him out of the way, a smirk on her face. “I love this plan,” she told me happily, pumping her fists in the air.

“I didn't...” I tried but she was shoved away by Ruffnut who slugged me in the shoulder with a smile. I looked to Ashter as he was soon in front of me with Ruffnut shoved away as well.

He put his hands on his hips. “So?” he asked. “What is the plan?” I smiled at them then turned to the Monstrous Nightmare's cage. I slowly pulled it open.

_Hurry!_ Toothless shouted.  _We're nearing the nest! So it'd be nice if you hurried up with the dragon training!_ I nodded shortly as I thought, _I'm not even going to ask how you know what I'm doing. And I am hurrying!_

I peered my head in the cage whispering, “Come on out. We won't hurt you. I promise.” I stepped back, giving the dragon room to look. Then he started coming towards me and I put a hand out. The dragon's snout was inches from my hand so I started leading him out. His focus was on me and not on the baffled teens which I counted as a good thing.

I heard gasps as the dragon seemed to be calmer by the minute, just staring at me. I took a glance behind me to see Ashter keeping Snotlout from picking up a spear. I slowed to a stop beside my cousin and reached for her hand.

“Wait, what are you...” she protested.

“Relax,” I told her soothingly. I urged her hand towards the dragon's snout. “It's okay.” Then I placed her hand where mine was. The dragon snorted but nonetheless stayed calm. Snotlout started chuckling. It seemed she was both amazed and terrified. I started walking towards a supply box and this action was not lost on my cousin.

“Where are you going?!” Her eyes darted from me to the dragon but she kept her hand in place.

I picked up a bundle of rope. “You're going to need something to help you hold on. _Come on out guys!_ ” I added the last part in dragon-tongue. The recruits eyed each other skeptically then looked around. They were faced with a Nadder, a Gronckle, and a Zippleback all staring at the teens expectantly. I smirked at my gaping friends. They were in for a surprise.

 


	21. The Battle Begins

**The Battle Begins**

We'd all mounted our selected dragons. The twins wanted the Zippleback, Fishlegs went to the Gronckle, Snotlout was all ready agreed with the Monstrous Nightmare and Ashter and I were on the Deadly Nadder. I had told them the dragons' genders so there wouldn't be any confusion. We were flying towards the Dragon's Nest, much to the dragons' dislike, when Toothless started talking to me again. This time he was panicking and not trying to hide it.

_Hali, your father broke open the nest!_ Toothless shouted.  _The dragons left already but I'm not so sure about Merciless. Oh Thor almighty! Actually, I am. He's out and angry! Hurry!_

My grip tightened on the rope as I nudged Stormfly, the Nadder, in the side to make her go faster. I called over my shoulder, “Guys we need to hurry! We don't have much time!”

“How do you know?” Snotlout called, flying closer on Hookfang.

I groaned but nonetheless answered her question. “Because Toothless told me. Now less talking and more flying.” I urged Stormfly to speed up, the dragons and their riders behind us doing the same.

“Toothless told you?” Ashter asked, leaning against me.

“Yeah,” I replied. “We have a telepathic link and he told me that my dad just opened the nest. And the Giant Dragon, Merciless, is out.” His arms tightened around my waist at the mention of Merciless.

He nodded. “Okay. I agree. We need to hurry.”

* * *

When we were at the nest, the shore was chaotic. The ships were on fire while there were Vikings scattered on the ground, launching boulders with catapults, throwing spears and had stakes on the ground to act as a barrier. That was when I saw Merciless. He was bigger than ever outside of the nest. If anything, he was even bigger than the volcano itself. My father and Gobber were taunting him, gaining his attention.

I turned to face the others as they grouped up behind me. “This ends today,” I told them. They nodded, their faces set in determination. I breathed out slowly as the birthmark on my back slowly burned, not painfully, but powerfully. I felt something rush through my veins and I rolled my shoulders. “It's go time!”

With that, we rushed in. We flew in from his back, hoping to get a surprise shot in before my father and Gobber did something stupider than what they were doing. I tapped the side of Stormfly's head and pointed to the back of Merciless. She understood immediately and let out a powerful blast that distracted the ginormous dragon. It turned to us but we were already out of the way.

“Ruff,Tuff, watch your backs!” I shouted. Taking a glance over my shoulder, I saw Fishlegs was lagging behind. He did have a Gronckle after all. “Fishlegs move it!” Merciless snapped at us just after I lead them out of harm's way. We climbed higher, making sure to be out of reach of the mighty jaws. We started circling each other, staying within earshot.

“Look at us!” Tuffnut yelled excitedly. “We're on dragons! We're on dragons, all of us!”

“Let's move it! Fly up!” I flew up, the others following my example. We then began to circle over the monster's head. I was in full game-plan mode. “Fishlegs, break it down for us.”

“Okay,” he said, looking down at the beast below. “Heavily armored skull and tail made for bashing and crushing. Stay clear of them both. Small eyes, large nostrils. Relies on hearing and smell.”

I nodded, going over all the things that Gobber had told us while we 'learned on the job.' “Okay. Lout, Legs, hand in its blind spot. Make some noise and keep it confused. Ruff, Tuff, find out if it has a shot limit. Make it mad!”

Ruffnut laughed. “That's my specialty!”

Tuffnut looked at her confused. “Since when? Everyone knows I'm more irritating. See.” To prove his point, he twisted his dragons neck upside down while make a really irritating noise.

“Just do as I told you,” I said, exasperated. “I'll be back as soon as I can.”

“Don't worry, we got it covered!” Tuffnut called after me. Fishlegs cheered, emphasizing Tuff's point. We peeled away just as the twins started throwing insults at the beast. Had this been under different circumstances, I would have laughed. 

My eyes scanned the fiery boats for any sign of Toothless. As we flew by each one, Toothless roared. I pinpointed exactly where the roar had come from. I pointed to that boat. “There!” Stormfly banked as I slowly stood up, handing the ropes to Ashter as I kept my hand on his shoulder to keep my balance. Stormfly stopped just above the boat and out of the flames reach.

I jumped off of her and landed on the boat, much to Ashter's shock. “Go help the others!” I told him. He nodded and flew off. I turned my attention to the chained up Night Fury. I grabbed the muzzle, and with a yank, it was off, allowing him to talk.

“Couldn't have picked a better time,” he said, pressing his nose against my cheek. I smiled and grabbed a hold of the chains around his upper body. My birthmark flared, giving me a surge of strength. The clasp came loose and fell off. For just a moment, I paused and looked at my hands as if they weren't my own.

I shrugged, not wanting to complain about this. I grabbed the other wooden lock and pulled. This one was a little harder. I grunted as I tried again but to no avail. That was until I was gently pushed aside by my father. His weapon was on the ground as he exchanged stares with Toothless. Whatever went through their heads seemed like a mutual agreement.

Dad went to the clasp and jerked it open at once. I sighed, relieved by the action. I made for the saddle when something rammed into the side of the boat. Almost.

I didn't know what possessed me to do it, but I thrust my hand out and something shielded the boat we were on. The tail of the beast passed right through us, leaving us unharmed. I gaped as did my father and Toothless. It was a few seconds before I could form some kind of coherent thought. And I laughed. Because what I did was freaking awesome!

I turned to my dad who stared right back at me. “Dad... look..” I started but he cut me off with the raise of his hand.

“I know,” he said, lowering his hand to his side. “I'm sorry too. You know you don't have to go up there.” He nodded to the monstrous dragon.

I glanced back at it. Then, with a smirk, I said, “We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard.”

He smiled at me fondly. He grasped my hand and looked straight into my eyes. “I'm proud to call you my daughter.” I rushed over and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me before letting go. After all, I had a war to stop. He gave me a nod. So I mounted the saddle and hooked my harness in.

With the encouragement from my father believing in me for the right thing, we took off and streaked into the sky. I could faintly hear Ashter cry, “She's up!” We flew around, watching as the plan I formed worked through. Ashter ordered the twins to do something and they were flying towards Merciless. Snotlout was apparently on its head before the twins had come to his rescue. He leaped off, being caught in the middle of the two heads.

Fishlegs was pulling himself out of the ground, resting a hand on Meatlug as he called her. Ashter was just about to head towards us when Merciless started inhaling. Ashter was getting sucked in. Toothless and I exchanged glances and we were both thinking the same thing.

Toothless let out an ear-piercing screech as he dove towards Merciless, preparing a plasma blast. He fired at Merciless's side, forcing him to halt his intake. Unfortunately the blast also had an effect on Stormfly and Ashter. Stormfly was released as her frantic flapping carried her off in a  _zip_ while Ashter was flung into the air, screaming like always.

“We're coming!” I shouted to him. Toothless spun around and nose-dived towards him, catching him by the leg. “Did you get him?”

Toothless bent his head over. “Yep,” he said happily. He set Ashter down on his feet mid-flight then took off again. We rocketed past the beast's head and climbed into the clouds. I looked down at the mighty dragon below.

“That thing's got wings,” I stated. “Okay. Let's see if it can use them!” We turned around and gained tremendous speed. Toothless took in a sharp breath and fired a powerful blast at Merciless, causing him to flop over with a roar. We then slowly flew up as the dust from the blast scattered around. I stared at the beast, his wings rising up.

He flapped his wings powerfully and after a few times, he was up in the air, enraged. I exhaled sharply. “Right, let's try something,” I said. I rubbed my hands together and focused on what I did at the boat. I held my hand out as Merciless slowly gained altitude. A pinprick of blue light formed at the center of my palm. The more I focused, the larger it grew until it was bigger than my hand.

The ball of light I held was soon shot at Merciless. It flew behind us and exploded right near his head. It did damage, alright. Made a bloody hole right near one of his eyes. Toothless and I used this distraction to our advantage. We zipped forward and after hearing a bellowing roar come from Merciless, the beats of wings flapping sounded behind us. And it was gaining.

I leaned into the saddle, giving us the aerodynamic advantage. My foot clicked into place and we were maneuvering between sea stacks, Merciless just busting right through them. The Vikings were cheering beneath us though they were cut off as Merciless let out a stream of fire, blowing just past us, although I was given a slight haircut.

“There it goes!” I shouted. We narrowly dodged the fire and flew upwards. Merciless added to the plan by flapping his wings madly and spreading the smoke around. “Alright, Toothless, time to disappear!” Toothless nodded wordlessly and sped up into the clouds, the smoke surrounding us. I tried not to breathe too much in. We slipped right in the cloud cover as Merciless's taunting roars sounded like thunder.

Toothless gently flapped his wings to hover, ensuring that little sound was made. Merciless looked around madly for any sign of us.

_Now?_ Toothless asked silently, his muscles tensing. 

I waited for Merciless's back to be turned. _Now,_ I confirmed. Toothless dove forward, his familiar screech sounding for a split second and the next, a plasma blast was directed at Merciless's wing, piercing a hole in it. The giant dragon whipped around but we were already out of sight. Toothless spun around and aimed another shot. Then again. And again. And again. I even threw in my own little energy blast.

Unfortunately for us, Merciless was more than a little annoyed. He roared and let out a continuous column of fire blindly. The fire went all over the place and I saw the glow of the fire coming closer to us. “Watch out!” I exclaimed as Toothless dove too late. The fire had already clipped the bottom of Toothless's tail, catching the artificial tail fin on fire.

“N'okay, time's up,” I said. “Let's see if this'll work.” I pulled Toothless into a turn and we flew straight towards Merciless. “Is that the best you can do?”

“Come on, you coward!” Toothless roared. We plunged into a dive, Merciless right on our tail. We were gaining speed, going faster than ever.

“Don't evade him,” I muttered to Toothless. “Not now. Keep in his sights.” I took a glance at the disintegrating tail. We didn't have very much time to work with. Merciless closed the gap, his eyes narrowing. I tucked in, keeping Toothless steady as our plunge slowed down.

_We're okay, Toothless. Just a little bit longer._ Merciless's mouth opened up, the green gas emerging, ready for ignition.  _Hold..._ The hiss came.

I braced myself. “ _Now!_ ” I shouted. I slammed the petal hard as toothless extended a wing and we swiveled around in place. We were facing Merciless's gaping jaws. Toothless fired point blank at the building gas, igniting it at once. It backfired, sending out a chain of fire throughout his massive body. He choked on the fireball and threw open his wings in a vain attempt to slow his descent. 

Toothless pivoted and we were flung out of our plunge, flying through one of the tearing holes in the massive wings. Merciless roared as he hit the ground head-first. He exploded in a mass of flames like the Hindenburg disaster. We weaved through the spikes on the monster's back, the flames gaining fast.

The obstacles cleared, I looked back at the fireball we were outrunning. Turning back, I saw the tail made for bashing and crushing swing towards us. “Tuck and roll!” I screamed. Toothless tucked his wings in and dove to narrowly avoid the club of a tail. But the tail clipped Toothless's side and in turn, my leg. I yelped as I clung to the saddle, the pain nearly blinding my vision.

While we managed escape maze of the monster's back, that, however, did not stop us from going into a spastic free-fall. We tumbled through the air and somehow, Toothless had managed to get me off the saddle and into his arms. His wings wrapped around me, concealing me in a fireproof shell. From the sounds of it, we spun, head-over-tail, and crashed on the ground.

We skidded on the ground, Toothless groaning as we did so. After that, I groaned myself then accepted blacking out for the time being.

 

* * *

** Wow that was one hell of a battle. What do you guys think about Hali's new power? Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! **

 


	22. Coming Back Around

**Coming Back Around**

Everything was dark.

I couldn't see a thing. Like it all disappeared.

I could hear though. And smell. Right then it smelled like smoke and... blood?

Someone's voice was faintly calling out to me. Two people were actually. They were both saying my name in panic.

There was something gently nudging me followed by soft coos.

Then my mind clicked into place along with the recent events. Merciless had gone down in an big  _bang_ of flame. Toothless and I had flown through the obstacle course of spikes on Merciless's back. We had fallen out of the flames and we were now on the ground. But something was missing.

I concentrated as much as possible so the rest of my senses, excluding sight, kicked in. I could feel and right about now, all I really felt was bloody pain. I felt around for anything and felt a scaly arm draped across my stomach.

Right! Toothless had wrapped me in his wings and shielded me from everything. But why was I hurting so badly? Maybe it was just from impact of the fall. That had to be it.

Of course the curious side of me wanted to see what was going on. So, with as much willpower as I could muster, I hesitantly opened my eyes, trying not to make any sudden moves. Again, it was dark. Though streams of light were allowed, giving me some ability to see.

Toothless, I realized, nudged me again even softer this time. I turned my head ever so slightly. And that movement was enough for him. His acid green eyes peered down at me in astonishment and relief.

"Hi," I mumbled, my voice hoarse. I probably gave him the weakest smile ever but it seemed like it did just the trick. He smiled back at me and pressed his forehead against mine.

"You never cease to amaze me, Hali," he said quietly. His grip on me tightened ever so slightly.

I rubbed my head, my thoughts buzzing about like bees. Though one question stood out the most. "Did we win?"

His smile grew even more. "We won. We fulfilled that ridiculously worded prophecy." I chuckled, remembering the damned prophecy that confused me for weeks.

"Toothless, why the heck does my leg hurt so much?" I looked towards my leg for emphasis but immediately regretted it. My left leg, just below the knee, was a mess. The main thing I could see was blood then the burns outlining it. Well that explained the pain. I cringed and turned my head away, focusing on anything but my leg. "Can I do anything about that? Maybe just enough to stop the blood flow?"

"I don't know but you could try." Toothless placed his head next to mine. I nodded shortly then reached my hand out at my leg. I zeroed-in all my focus onto my leg. It was most definitely out of my power to heal my leg entirely, but if I concentrated hard enough, I could stop the blood flow. After a few seconds of willing the blood flow to stop, I blew out a deep breath. I then tried a different method.

" _Sos oblaan,_ "(1) I whispered. It was a few seconds of silence before I felt the blood flow in my lower leg slow just enough so that it wasn't gushing all over the place. I heaved a sigh of relief as I leaned my head back against Toothless's forearm.

I wanted to close my eyes and go to sleep but a gruff voice calling my name stopped my. This time, I was conscious to recognize the voice. "Dad!" I said, trying to sit up but Toothless stopped me. I looked to him in confusion.

"You can't walk," he stated, nodding his head at my mangled leg. "I'll get his attention." With that, he lifted his head and roared, loud enough for the entire island to hear. My father's voice sounded off, even louder than before. I heard heavy, rapid footsteps coming towards us.

"Hali!" Dad cried. Toothless opened up his wings, the light flooding in and causing me to snap my eyes shut.

"Wow, that's harsh," I said, raising a hand to block the light from my squinted eyes. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. When they did, I lowered my hand and tried to sit up with the help from Toothless. I groaned as I pushed myself into a more comfortable position. Of course, my attempt was cut off when my father pulled me into a desperate bear hug.

"Hali, how are you-" My father was undoubtedly at a loss for words. I put my arms around him as much I could, trying to offer at least some comfort.

Though that was hard to do when you were having the breath crushed out of you. "Dad, can't really breathe here." He immediately loosened his grip enough for me to actually sit myself up. I somehow ended up sitting in his lap like I did when I was younger.

I watched in amazement as Dad leaned over and gently rested a hand upon Toothless's head. "Thank you," he said quietly, just for us to hear. "for saving my daughter." Toothless nodded and nudged my father's open palm. The sounds of cheering and roaring sounded behind us. I looked over Dad's shoulder to see Vikings  _and_ dragons gathered together, happily shouting.

I turned back to my father. "Does this mean you finally accept them?" I asked, causing my father to look at me.

He smiled. "I guess we all needed a bit of... this." He pointed at me.

Smirking, I came up with my signature comeback. "You just gestured to all of me."

"Well, most of you," Gobber said, coming up from behind my father. His expression was full of pride. He gestured to my mangled leg with his hammer-arm. "We're gonna have to do something about that." I nodded, knowing full well what was going to have to happen.

* * *

Toothless had carried me to the boats where the rest of the Vikings had climbed aboard. The dragons had been hovering above the boats, ready to start flying to Berk. I was placed on the boat along with Toothless. He'd whispered something that put me under. I hadn't been too sure why he had done that. Though the next time I woke up, I was in my bed that was in the main room. (2)

My head was pounding as well as some stinging pains on my face. There was also a strange suspicion that something wasn't right. I decided to put that thought away for the time being. I could barely remember the last thing happening to me was Gobber explaining what was going to happen. The words seemed to slur together, making it near impossible for me to understand.

I groaned softly as I fluttered my eyes open. I was met with the sight of my home, lit warmly by the sun streaking in from the window. A coo sounded from my right. I turned towards the sound, blinking rapidly to stop the blurring.

"Hey Toothless," I whispered. He bounced excitedly and immediately rushed his head forward. He nudged me again and again, unable to contain any excitement. "Yeah, I'm happy to see you too." I grabbed the sides of his head in an attempt to calm him down. That, however, was futile. Toothless quickly licked my cheek, catching the corner of my mouth.

"You've been out for days," he said, licking my face again. "But you're up now. So some matters have to be discussed. Come on. Sit up." He snagged the front of my tunic and started pulling me up.

"Alright, alright. I'm getting up." I playfully batted him away then started pushing myself up. Then I tugged the blanket away and froze at the sight. Something more overwhelming than I ever thought. Toothless walked around to the other side of my bed, the sympathy evident in his eyes. I swung my legs around to the side.

To be specific, one leg and a half.

My real foot touched down to the floor and my now metal leg stepped down beside it. Toothless bent down to sniff at the newly seen leg then met my eyes calmly, knowing exactly the kind of horrifying feeling that was rushing through me.

"Deep breaths, Hali," Toothless told me softly. He pushed his nose into the crook of my neck. I breathed deeply as he told me to. I glanced to the closed front door, knowing that I would have to face my village.

"I don't look too bad, do I?" I asked lightly, referring to the burns on my face.

Toothless pulled away to press his nose to mine. "You look as beautiful as ever." I smiled then kissed his briefly with one more task waiting to be done.

"Come on. We have a village to look at." I braced myself against the bedpost, wincing and trying to hide the pain. "Okay... okay..." I took one step and let go of the now out-of-reach bedpost. I stepped again but I stumbled and fell. I expected to hit the floor, as I'd done so many times in my life before, but instead, I was caught by Toothless.

I breathed shakily as he rose his head, guiding me back to my feet. "Thanks, love," I said, leaning on him for support. He helped me walk to the door, taking very small steps at a time. I slowly pushed off of him and reached for the door handle. I pulled the heavy door open and was greeted with a very similar sight to the day I shot down Toothless. A Monstrous Nightmare roared as it flew into my point of view.

I quickly slammed the door shut, my back pressed firmly against it. I looked to Toothless who was currently smirking at me. "What?" I asked.

He merely nodded to the door. "Just go out there and see. I think you'll like the surprise. " I quirked an eyebrow at him but nonetheless, opened the door again. I peered at the Monstrous Nightmare and saw Snotlout riding it.

"You ready guys?" she called behind her. "One two three, here we go!" She flew off with multiple people on dragons behind her, like she was training them. I stepped outside, Toothless following close behind. There were dragons and Vikings walking around peacefully. Dragons were eating fish where the torches used to be. They were also perched on houses and flying around freely.

I gaped all around. There were no words I could use. Toothless chuckled and came up beside me. "Not bad, eh?" My father asked as he walked up to me. He put his arm around me and gestured to the newly renovated Berk.

"It's... I can't explain how amazing this is." I smiled.

"Hali!" a Viking shouted.

"Hali, how you doing?" another asked.

"Great to see you up and about!" one called.

Vikings one by one started coming up, some with Terrible Terrors placed on their shoulders. Gobber pushed through the crowd, beaming at me. "That bit's my handiwork," he said, pointing to the prosthetic. "With a little Hali flare thrown in. Think it'll do?"

I looked down at it, finally coming to terms with all this. "I might make a few tweaks," I cracked, causing some of them to laugh. Ashter pushed through the crowd as well, relief evident. He stepped in front of me and jabbed me in the shoulder. I stared at him incredulously.

"That's for scaring me," he explained as if it were obvious. I scoffed, dropping my hands to my sides. He moved again. I thought he was going to hit me again but instead he hugged me tightly like it was something he really needed. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him back. He soon pulled away and ruffled me hair earning some indignant protests from me.

 _Should I make myself noticed now?_ Toothless asked me telepathically.

I giggled quietly.  _Go for it,_  I replied. In the instant after, Toothless jumped over me, causing some Vikings to cry out. One even used the special call, "Night Fury! Get down!" Toothless crushed multiple people under his weight who were nonetheless okay. The crowd grumbled and I exchanged a sheepish grin with Ashter.

 _One more thing,_ Toothless said, nodding to Gobber who now had a rebuilt saddle, rigging, and tail in his arms.

"Welcome home," Gobber told me, handing me the bundle. I took it gratefully in my arms.

* * *

The gear attached, I clicked my prosthetic foot into place. I opened the revamped tail which was now red with a white skull on it. I hooked my harness in as Ashter came up mounted on Stormfly. I smiled at him then leaned down. "You ready?" I asked Toothless.

He grinned. "Ready as ever," he replied. I rubbed his head before looking up at the village.

_This is Berk. It snows nine months of the year and hails the other three._

We leaped into the sky, Ashter giving chase. The familiar rush of adrenaline filled me aligned with excitement.

_Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so._

The race through the village, dodging rooftops, weaving between houses, and flying between the ship masts was soon joined by my fellow recruits upon their selective dragons.

 _The only upside are the_ pets.  _While other places have ponies or parrots..._

We all rocketed far above the village in a sort of formation. The sky was mixed with a multitude of dragons. Toothless and I peeled away from the pack, spinning high off into the sky.

_We have dragons._

* * *

**I named this chapter after one of the final tracks of the HTTYD soundtrack.**

**(1) - It means "Blood end." I looked this up on the Skyrim wikia page for something similar to 'blood flow stop' and I ended up with 'blood end.' It sounds silly in English but in dragon-tongue, it sounds cool.**

**(2) – I don't know what the Vikings called the rooms in their homes so I just decided that the room you walk into is called the main room.**

**Wow that was officially my favorite chapter to write! We reach the long awaited end of the story. It will be picking up in the sequel: The Anger of Bludvist. This sequel will be launching soon, this I can assure. Also, my best friend's birthday is on the 6th and I will be going to her birthday party at Sky Zone (an indoor trampoline park.) Hopefully I don't get knocked into too many times.**

**Anyways thank you all for sticking with me till the end. I cannot thank you enough for the endless amounts of support. You are the best readers I could ever ask for. I will see you all very soon!**


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